The New Arrival
by SkyminSlash
Summary: May, a 17 year old gamer, is forced to move to the Town of Bee Cave, Texas when her father is relocated for work. Well aware that it's the home town of the fictional Engineer from Team Fortress 2, she jokes about meeting him, but what happens when she catches a glimpse of him walking down the street and decides to follow him?
1. Chapter 1

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**IF YOU WANT TO GET STRAIGHT TO THE "PLOT" SKIP TO CHAPTER 4! THAT'S WHERE THE TEAM FORTRESS CHARACTERS COME INTO PLAY! TRUST ME IT GETS MUCH MORE INTERESTING AT THAT POINT!**

**A/N: Ok this is my first ever story so please add constructive criticism to any reviews. I'm also definitely not a writer and apologize for any thing that just out right sucks. I'm basically doing this for fun and hope to eventually finish it.**

**Also I, again, apologize for anything out of place and definitely for grammatical errors because I am absolutely horrible at coma placement. Also sorry for formatting and capitalization. I might have missed some because I'm not exactly writing this in a program that has automatic capitalization. **

**This first chapter kinda consists mostly of Description, especially of May's character and I might have gotten a bit carried away. I also probably screwed up in several places but hey it's my first time. Also through out the story I'm going to try and add references to games and shows. There's one right in the first paragraph that should be easy to spot. Have fun spotting them (though there's not much in this chapter). Oh and the Engineer isn't really the main focus, in fact he ****isn't my favorite character but in the story he'll kinda act as a bridge...that'll be explained later...**

**Anyway like I said this is just for fun, nothing serious, though nothing terrible. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 1- The Surprise**

* * *

"We're Moving?!" May said in shock.

"We're sorry dear, but your father got moved to another division that paid better. Plus moving to Texas will give me a better option for my own job."

May was furious about having to move from her home to Texas which, to her, seemed as foreign as another country. All 17 years of her life, May had lived in Portland, Maine, never having to move, much to her satisfaction. Unfortunately, she was now being forced to, right before her senior year in high school. May was looking forward to her final year at Peach Creek High because she was going to be able to take all the classes she had been waiting 3 years for. For all she knew, her new school wouldn't have any of the classes she had been waiting for. What was suppose to be the best year of high school was going to suck.

May had been with a majority of her class since kindergarten, and even if they weren't exactly friends she at least knew them well and were comfortable around them. Being around unknown people caused May to become uncomfortable and shy away from them, a trait that she was never proud of.

The reason they had to move was because May's father had gotten a promotion that forced him to move to Texas, where the company's main office was. Though she didn't know what town it was located in yet, she did know it was a small town. It wasn't in a big city like Houston, but rather in a small rural town near the center of Texas. The location of the company striked her as odd. Why would a big company like that have their headquarters in such a small town? Seeing as how it couldn't hurt anyone, May just decided to ask her mother.

"Hey Mom? Where exactly are we moving to?"

"Well like I said we're moving to Texas, but town wise it's the small quiet town known as…um…now what was it called again?"

"Bee cave dear. Bee Cave, Texas" her father answered.

"Oh yes that's right. Thank You Frank."

"No problem Linda."

"Hmm…Bee Cave now why does that sound familiar?" May muttered to herself.

"What was that?" her mother asked.

"Oh nothing I was just thinking to my self."

Bee Cave really did sound familiar to her, but she just couldn't figure out why. Right now she wasn't thinking straight because of all the chaos going on in her head that was cause by this sudden announcement

'I'll figure it out later right now there's other stuff to do.' she thought.

She was about to move herself to her room when her mother interrupted her thinking.

"Back on topic, I had said that It'll also benefit my job as well. You know how small the airport here in Portland is right? Being that it's small means that there aren't any good flights that go out of it and you know my pay depends on some good, long flights, which are nonexistent out here. Texas has the Houston Airport which has more flights that are longer and even some international ones meaning that I'll be able to make more money and we can buy some better things. Maybe even some for you."

"OK, OK I get it…." May said depress fully.

"Sweetie don't worry you'll be able to say good bye to everyone before we leave. I know you'll want to say good bye to Emile." Her mother said with a wink

"Mom! Come on I told you I have no interest in him." May said in retaliation, but was unable to hide the blushing.

"Whatever you say…We don't have to leave for a week anyway so you'll have plenty of time to say your goodbyes, though we will have to start packing tomorrow."

"Alright…I'm going to go upstairs and get on the computer. Call me if you need me."

"Alright. Sheesh you and your computer. Do you ever stop watching YouTube or playing those games?"

"Nope." May happily said.

And with that, she ran off upstairs to her room and shut the door. Once she knew she was out of hearing range from her parents, she leaped onto the bed, buried her face in a pillow and screamed. Screaming allowed her to vent her frustration and anger out, which she had a lot of at the moment. She wasn't angry at her parents for making this decision, for she knew it was the right thing to do. She agreed that this would allow her family to make more money so that they wouldn't get into financial trouble like they had a few years ago when her parents lost both of their jobs and she was having to use the reduced lunch. That year made her feel like a freeloader even though she knew she wasn't. Something about her personality made her feel embarrassed and guilty about 80% of the time. She hated it but couldn't help it.

After a few seconds of screaming into her pillow she got up and walked over to her desk that held her computer. It wasn't exactly a great computer, but it did the job. She had hoped to get a gaming computer last Christmas, but her parents said it was too much. At least she had managed to get the new Wii U, but after about a week she had lost interest because she had beaten the one game she was given. Every time she completes a game she looses the interest to play it anymore, at least with most games that is. There were only a few exceptions to this rule, two of which had become her favorite games of all time, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Team Fortress 2.

While she absolutely loved Brawl, she couldn't help but just be sucked in by Team Fortress. True all the Characters in Brawl were from series's she loved, but something about Team Fortress just made her obsessed with everything about it. The "story", Characters, weapons, music, and just everything about it she loved. She even had some merchandise such as posters and figures (unfortunately not those magnificent statues that cost an arm and a leg).

May always came back to Team Fortress when there was nothing to play. She didn't even care that she wasn't the best (though she wasn't god awful like some people she knew. Her dad specifically but that was another story), she just loved playing it. Actually she didn't even know why. Normally she downright hated and despised First Person Shooters for their lack of originality and repetitive nature. In fact Team Fortress was the only exception. She didn't know why, though. Maybe it was the characters or maybe it was the classes having different gameplay styles, but one thing she knew for sure was that she would always love Team Fortress no matter what.

May was always informing herself in her interests. If she got into a game or series use would research any and all information about it. There was very little she didn't know. Her extensive knowledge of games such as Pokemon, Portal, Zelda and especially Team Fortress never helped, but she felt proud of know such obscure facts. Beta information also interested her a lot. If someone wanted to know of the beta versions of a game, she was the one to ask.

May sat there staring at the computer screen, waiting for Steam to log on to her account. She decided to take this time to get comfortable and change into her PJ's. She let down her long, thick brown hair that was always tied up no matter what. The only time it was let down was for dances and the times that her parents made her for special occasions. May's rule for her appearance and fashion was that she must always be comfortable. Because of this she never wore make up (in fact she hated it), fancy dresses, jewelry, and anything girly. The only type of jewelry she ever wore was a blue Portal necklace that she had been given last Christmas. The fact that she absolutely loved portal was the only reason she wore it.

Because May dressed modestly with T-shirts, jeans, and hoodies, most girls didn't like her and thought she was trashy. Though this embarrassed her she didn't care. Being as how most of the girls in her school were stuck up brats who only cared about appearance, this caused her to care less. May had never been friends with girls because of her lack of care for appearance and her love of video games. Everyone thought she was weird, or at least the girls did. The boys on the other hand didn't have anything against her. In fact they liked her. They enjoyed being able to talk to someone of the opposite gender that could talk about video games. Being the Tom boy she was, she actually quite enjoyed being around boys rather than girls and was quite content with her social life, other than certain girls she just wanted to punch right in the face because of how they act towards her. Some girls were just cruel towards her for no reason really. She never did anything to them. In fact she had always been nice to them.

Her over sized shirt slipped down her medium sized body with ease, resting comfortably over her body. The only reason she wasn't over weight was because of the constant swimming she did. The exercise burned of the excess food she liked to eat.

May was 5'5 with a body that was neither fat nor skinny with, a small chest, and broad shoulders. She was nothing for someone to desire her for both looks or personality. Her personality, was in fact, odd to say the least. She wavered between being kind, cunning, sadistic, shy, clever, paranoid, and fearful.

* * *

Eventually Steam powered up after a mandatory update that ended up taking two hours due to several download failures.

"Ugh I hate this computer….." May said in frustration to herself, "Now it's to late to do anything."

Indeed it was. It was midnight and May knew she needed to get to sleep. She crawled into bed, turned off the lights and started thinking.

'Man I can't believe we're moving…that's all i can think about and it's not something I want to. I'll just think about something else, maybe Team Fortress. Hmm, you know I wonder when they will release the update that will finally do something with those Robocrates that were added a while ago. I have a few that are just taking up space. Maybe the update will add more than just a key to open the crates, maybe they will add some new weapons. There's a need for some new weapons to mess around with especially some for the Engine- Wait a minute...Of course that's where I know Bee Cave from! It's the Engineer's hometown. I'M SUCH AN IDIOT! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE REMEMBERED THAT EARLIER?!' May slapped her fore head, 'well least that mystery is solved. I really should get to bed so, stop thinking brain.'

With that, May slowly started falling asleep with the thoughts of what Bee Cave, Texas would be like. Maybe she would see the Engineer, she joked.

* * *

**This chapter was written before the Robotic Boogalo update, when we all were just waiting around for an update. The next time the robocrates are mentioned, also fall into this category.**


	2. Chapter 2

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: First off these are not completely polished, so there will be mistakes as I've said before. Secondly this is my first attempt and a sort of romance and I don't know if I failed miserably or not. T****hirdly, I consider this more filler than anything. Yes it's character development but it's not focusing on the main plot. in fact the main plot wont come till chapter 4. Sorry I'm try to skip as little as possible with out rushing through and forgetting stuff.**

**Oh and motivation will get me writing, so if you guys like it feel free to tell me :D. I accept all criticism as long as it's helpful and not just downright mean. Like I've said, I'm not exactly a writer, I'm just doing this for fun and there will be a lot of mistakes. Seriously feel free to point out any mistakes**

**I feel like doing this little fun fact thing at the end of chapters just to try and explain where i got some stuff so guess I'll start with this one.**

**Anyways guys enjoy my attempt at some "romance."**

* * *

**Chapter 2- Unfortunate News**

* * *

The Next morning, May woke up bright and early. Being as how she was leaving in a week for Bee Cave, May felt like she should go spend a majority of her time left in Portland with Emile, since he was her best friend. She decided to spend all of today with him as sort of a "present" for having to tell him the bad news. She got dressed right away and ran down the street to Emile's house.

May had always been a lucky person to have her best friend live just a few doors down. Most neighbors tended to ignore each other, but in May and Emile's case, it was the complete opposite. For as long as they could remember, they had been best friends.

As she ran down the street, May thought about how she was going to break the news to Emile. She knew he would be devastated because she was his only friend. Emile was in social outcast in the school. He had trouble communicating with anyone that he wasn't familiar with, which unfortunately, happened to be everyone except May and his family. His shyness and habit to stutter, combined with the close minded people in school, caused them to believe that Emile had a mental disorder, when in reality he did not.

May walked up the steps to Emile's front door and lifted her arm up to knock, but hesitated. There was no way of getting out of this, he was going to have to know sooner or later. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. About a minute passed with no answer, but as she began walking away, the door flung open to reveal a teenage boy.

"Sorry...about that...I was just in the middle of a Team Fortress MATCH. There were rockets flying everywhere, it was insane. I was just waiting to die because I wasn't wanting to abandon my team in the middle of a fight. You know how people can be towards idlers. Sorry I didn't answer." he said, panting from the sprint he had just done.

Emile was a tall lanky boy with short black hair that came to just above his shoulders. His messy hair suited him well, or at least that's what May thought. Both Emile and May seemed to dress similar, despite being of the opposite genders. Both liked to dress comfortably, and right now, Emile was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a baggy black shirt that said, across the chest, 'The cake is a lie.'

The two had become fast friends because of their love of video games. Both obsessed over them and played non stop. They shared favorite games together and tended to get into heated arguments over things such as 'which weapons were better.' Their tastes in music, humor, and movies were so similar, that it was kind of scary. May's parents actually have said that Emile and her were a match made in heaven, to the annoyance of their daughter, but the more she thought about it the more she realized they might be right. Emil and her had so much chemistry between the two. They made each other laugh and could always tell when something was wrong. Leaving Portland, meant leaving him. She would have done anything in order for that not to happen.

May stood there, sadness glaring on her face. Emile knew something was wrong.

"May? What's wrong?"

May hesitated but knew she had to tell him. "...We're moving..."

"What?! Since When?!"

"I don't know. I was told about this last night."

"But you can't! Your my only friend..." his voice trailing off as he thought of life without his best friend.

May couldn't help but feel terrible. She knew it wasn't her fault, but It made her feel guilty. The boy's feelings were being crushed.

"I- I'm sorry it wasn't my choice. My dad got a promotion and were having to move to Texas in a week."

"Great..." Emile sarcastically said.

"But you'll never guess where to."

"Where?" he asked, curious.

"Bee Cave. Sound Familiar?" May said with a smile.

"Wait you mean the hometown of the Engineer?" Emile began to perk up.

"Yeah isn't that neat? least it's somewhere I'm aware of...well kind of. At least I've heard about it before...kinda."

Both were beginning to return to their normal, happy selves as they started conversing about games.

"You know what would be both hilarious and weird? If you meet someone that was the spitting image of the Engineer." Emile said.

"Yeah...that would be more creepy than anything. Besides that could never happen. I mean it's a video game. Yeah there are people that are similar to characters, but not exact. That would be to freaky if they were exact to the characters they looked like. I mean really, what are the chances that there's going to be an engineer living in Bee Town, that looks just like the Engineer, is dressed just like him AND has the same voice? I'd say about zero to none." May said, laughing at the idea.

"Yeah your right. Hey wanna go play some games? I haven't maxed out my item limit for the week yet. I wanna see if I get anything of use. I swear if i get another Diamondback I'm going to scream. I already have 5 and I don't need another."

"Well why don't you craft them into scrap metal? Oh right you like to hoard your weapons. You know your going to run out of space at some point. Besides you can't complain. I once managed to get 3 Brass Beasts in a row which gave me a total of 9 Brass Beasts! You wouldn't believe how hard I screamed when I got that third one. After that whole situation I just said screw it and melted them all down into scrap. It wasn't like I need them anyway. You know Heavy is my least played and besides I managed to get ANOTHER Brass Beats when I got back on...I swear those things haunt my nightmares." May said, throwing her hands up in frustration of the story.

"Yeah I remember you telling me about that." he said, imagining May screaming at the top of her lungs, while the game notified her that she had just found a Brass Beast.

They stood there for a few awkward seconds with nothing to talk about until May spoke up.

"So, why don't we get going with the reason I came here?"

"Oh yeah...you having to move..." Emil sadly said, remembering the topic

"Well...I had to tell you that, but I came here to just hang out and play some games. I think it'll cheer both of us up."

"Ok sure! Whatcha want to do? Think with Portals, Catch Them All, RED vs. BLU, Fate of Two Worlds, or Your Princess is in Another Castle?" Emile said with a grin.

"Haha how bout we do some RED vs. BLU? Lets see if the Item System likes you today and decides to give you something good. We can think with portals later...if your Still Alive." May said with a smirk on her face.

"OK, OK lets stop with the puns and get going."

Emile and May ran inside and spent the rest of the day playing games till their hearts content. May won some games and lost some, but they had a fantastic time together. As May sat there, watching Emile Play Team Fortress, she laughed at the way he played. His favorite character being the Sniper, he tended to be a troll to the other team. Unlike May, Emile was insanely good at TF2, especially with the Sniper. Combining his still with tendency to shout into the microphone, mimicking the Sniper's lines in a bad Australian accent, caused other players to hate him. He would often get kicked because people would think he was hacking with all the head shots he would accomplish.

The item system was actually nice to Emile that day. He manage to get Ol' Snaggletooth, which cause him to fall out of his seat in shock. May remembered that he had been trying to finish the Croc-o-style Kit for months, but didn't have the money to buy It and was not in favor of trading for it. Seeing him this happy made May positive feelings rush through her. She was always glad to see him happy. When he was happy she was happy.

Unfortunately she knew her time at his house wouldn't last forever.

"Oh man, I gotta go home and start packing." she said

"Oh yeah...I forgot..." Emile sadly replied, remembering that within a week, she would be gone.

"Don't worry you know we will always keep in touch. I'll always be your best friend." May said, smiling sweetly.

"I know...just don't forget to call or text or whatever, OK?"

"You know I won't. Besides I doubt there would be interesting people in Bee Cave anyway. If it's anything like it's described in the Engineer's profile, then it's a calm, quaint town that probably doesn't even have anyone except old people and country folk."

"You know you're probably right. Sucks for you though." Emile laughed.

"..."

"Come on I was joking. Look just have a good night, OK?"

"I will. You to."

With that, they waved goodbye to each other as May headed back home. On her way home, she was pulled deep into thought.

'No feelings please don't come out now...why must you pick the worst times...'

She stepped through the front door and was greeted by her mother, who was cleaning up around the kitchen. Hands in sink, she looked up and addressed her daughter.

"Hey Sweetie, how was your day? Have fun?"

"Yeah mom I did. To bad I won't ever again..." May said, still pouting over the move.

"Oh now don't be like that. You never know what will happen. Maybe something exciting will happen in Bee Cave. You never know."

"Yeah, OK. Hey do you mind if i go to bed? I'm really tired. I promise to get up early tomorrow to pack."

"Only if you promise to." her mother said in a disappointed tone.

"I promise."

May ran up to her room, shut the door and jumped into bed.

'Maybe this day will get better. No wait maybe this week will. I don't want to say goodbye to everyone. I don't want to leave my friends...especially Emil...why now...'

* * *

**Fun Fact:**

** The Name Emile actually can from me being a fan of the YouTube Let's Player, Chugaaconroy. He's seriously a great LPer, go check him out if you already haven't. You'll be promised to great video recordings, great commentary, and hard work that was put into his videos.**


	3. Chapter 3

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Ok this chapter is complete crap. It's just filler. Nothing interesting happens. I just wanted to get it over with. I really don't even know why it exists, or why it was written. I literally just conjured up a house out of nowhere and tried to describe it. Trying to describe it wasn't easy considering I'm already not the best describer. **

**So if you want you could just skip this. It really does nothing for the story except somewhat set up for the next chapter. Oh while on the topic of the next chapter, the next one will be on the main plot. No more set up or filler, the next one will dive down into the plot, which is when all the Team Fortress characters show up.**

* * *

**Chapter 3-Arrival at Bee Cave**

* * *

Two Weeks Later

"Well here we are. Our new home." May's father said as they pulled up into the drive way of their New Bee Cave home.

"Oh thank God. Finally we can get out of the car." May said with a sigh of relief.

They had been traveling for the past week, spending hours in the car without stopping. The only time they had stopped was for food and to sleep for the night. May's parents had decided not to spend money on hotels, considering it to be an unnecessary expense, so they spent their nights in the back of their van. They had to get there within the week, so they could have time to settle in before her father had to report to work.

* * *

The week spent driving across the country was incredibly boring. Every few hours her parents would switch out driving, giving the other a chance to rest. Luckily, they decided to be nice to their daughter and didn't make her drive, but the more she thought about it, the more it would have been better to drive than to sit in the backseat bored out of her mind. May had already finished all the games she had for her DS, even her newly cleared Pokemon Black. She, unfortunately, managed to complete it within the first three days and from then on out she had nothing to do. If only Team fortress hadn't required internet then maybe she could have occupied her time with something that could entertain her to no end. The whole trip had been a bore and, for once, she was actually glad to see Bee Cave, Texas. Arriving in Bee Cave meant something to do other than fantasizing about video game stories.

As they drove through the quiet town, May scoped out the different shops that lined the main street. She saw a variety of small shops such as cafe's, boutiques, stands, and other miscellaneous shops. To her disappointment though, she hadn't seen a single shop that might have sold a game or any sort of electronic.

"Great...where am I supposed to get my games now?"

"Don't worry. When you need to we can drive to another town that has one. We just won't go too often, seeing as how the next town is an hour away." her mother answered.

"An hour?!" May said in disbelief.

She couldn't believe she would have to drive an hour away just to go visit a store that sold something as basic as a video game. Bee Cave was looking worse and worse. Everyone here looked old and out of energy. From the people she had seen on the street, it didn't seem like there were any kids or people her age. She was starting to doubt the existence of a school in this slow, sleepy town.

"Mom? Everyone here is old. Where are the people my age? I haven't seen a single kid. Is there even a school here?"

"Of course there are kids here. They're probably just all cooped up at home watching TV or something. Like you do. Besides, you don't have to worry about school for another month." Her mom replied with a warm smile.

"Mom! Come on. Besides this town looks like the kind of town kids would want to get away from. This town looks so old and slow."

"Well you're going to have to live with that. Bee Cave is your new home now." Her mother said sternly.

"Fine..."

* * *

As the car came to a stop, May rushed out of the car, though whether she was just glad to finally get out of a car or because she was eager to see her new home, she'll never know. Before even going inside she could tell that is was a good sized home. It was much nicer than her previous, small two story, two bed room house. This new house was much bigger. She compared it to being the size of two of her old house if they were smashed together, both horizontally and vertically. Though both houses were two stories, this new one had higher ceilings which, in turn, gave a taller and grander appearance.

As she walked in the door, she got a whiff of a home sweet home smell, even though she didn't consider it that quite yet. The House split right as she walked in the front door. The stairs to her right led upstairs while the ones to her right led down stairs. She figured that the bed rooms would be upstairs, so she ran up the stairs on her right in order to find her new room. As she was exploring her new home there was one thing that she notice right away that brought her immediate relief.

"Oh thank god there's more than one bathroom." May said with a thankful tone.

She had noticed two bathrooms, which she was quite thankful for. In her old home, the three of them were always fighting over the one tiny bathroom in the house. Her mother would always take at least an hour in the morning to get herself ready for the day, forcing May to get up extra early in order to beat her to the bathroom. The days she didn't she would always end up being late to school. May's mother always had to look her best in public no matter what. She never understood why but, it didn't matter to her too much, so long as her mother didn't force her.

As she wandered around the house more, she came to the hall where the bedrooms resided, one of which she assumed was the master bedroom because it was the biggest bedroom she had found. The master bedroom was of a fairly big size. She figured it would make her parents happy because of the amount of items they each had. Her father, being into movies and entertainment, had loads of movie memorabilia from a variety of movies, while her mother had tons of make-up and clothes. May had always wondered how her and her mother got along so well ,considering their personalities and interests were completely different.

Across the hall from the master bedroom was another room of decent size. There was also a room of the same dimensions next to the master bed room and May knew one would become her room while the other would become the study/computer room. May chose the room across from her parents bed room because she felt she would disturb them more if she shared a wall with them. As she analyzed the room, she was already planning on where to put everything. Where her bed would go, her desk, her computer, and especially which walls her numerous posters would go on.

'Oh hey I completely forgot about my computer. Maybe they finally released an update for Team Fortress.' May ran downstairs to find the box that contained her computer. As she was going to pick up the box, her father interrupted her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, getting my computer?" May replied.

"Sorry but there's more important things to be unloaded before the computer. Besides you wouldn't be able to do anything yet. The house doesn't have internet yet and won't for another week. We couldn't schedule anyone seeing as how the only internet provider in town has one employee who can set it up."

"Yeah figures...This blows..." May said, sadly putting the box back down.

Her father could see the disappointment on her face and couldn't help but feel bad. Like his wife, he never liked to see May unhappy and whenever he got the chance he would perform a sort of act of kindness that would cheer her up.

"Hey why don't you go explore the town? Get a feel for your new home. Your mother and I will start unpacking and you can start when you get back. I'll let you take the car." He said with a smirk, dangling the keys in front of her.

"Really?!" May said excitedly.

"Of course. You've got two hours though. Be back by 9, ok?"

"Sure, whatever." May grabbed the keys and her over the shoulder bag and hopped into the car and took off.

'Maybe I'll meet someone who's nice. Make a friend. I could really use someone to talk to in this town.'

* * *

**Fun Fact:**

** I got the name May from the first instance I recall hearing that name: Pokemon. Yup ever since then I've liked the name and not because of the character (believe me im not the biggest fan of her or any other females in the show, especially Dawn and Iris.). It also happens to be my birth month :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: So woohoo, Summer!**

**Anyway I had been slowly writing this for the past few days and it still doesn't satisfy me, but I figured I should just get moving with the story. Felt like I couldn't get the descriptions right for the life of me. And again hope you guys like where this is going, if not I apologize but this is what the core "idea" will be, but I'll talk about this down there.**

**Enjoy**

**P.S: I'm completely making these chapter names up as i write these noted so their pretty crappy**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Impossible Happens**

* * *

May drove around for an hour exploring the town. The only stores she saw were that of small country stores, boutiques, hardware, and small diners and cafe's. Boutiques definitely weren't in her interest, as she had no use for them, while the restaurants looked as though they sold the same food as each other. Though a majority of the stores that she visited held no interest, there were a few. One of these stores was a costume store, which held a variety of costumes.

'Hmm this place could come in use sometime' May thought as she picked up a fallen angel costume with decorative tattered wings. 'There are actually some cool costumes in here. I might just have to come back here during Halloween.'

Another shop that had peeked May's interest was that of a pop culture shop. As May looked around, she saw some familiar looking faces on shirts and products. May figured that this would easily become her favorite store in Bee Cave, seeing as how it seemed to have recent merchandise as opposed to antiques like the 10 other stores on the main street had. She saw several products that all peaked her interest, as they were characters she was all familiar with.

'Wow, this store is a lot like the one back home. I wonder if they have a connection to each other...Though this store is one of the few interesting ones in this slow town, it does seem out of place. Why would a pop culture store be in the middle of a town like this? I'm guessing that it's to draw younger people in.'

As May roamed around the town's main street, May's stomach growled from the absence of food.

'Oh man I forgot that I haven't eaten since we stopped at that McDonald's. How long ago was that? 8 hours maybe? Man I need to go get something to eat. Hmm, I'm craving a smoothie. Wonder if any of these cafés have any...I have got to stop thinking to myself so much...'

May searched the street for somewhere that would appease her craving for a smoothie. She came across a small, quaint coffee shop near the end of the main street. The small coffee shop was booming with business and, while May didn't necessarily like crowds, a crowded restaurant meant good food. She bought herself a blueberry muffin and a strawberry banana smoothie, sat down, and pulled out her iPhone.

'Hmm…I wonder what's been going on in the gaming world.' She thought as she slowly ate her food. 'Oh hey what do you know? They added a new description to those Robocrates. Now if they would just release something to open them with...'

As May sat there thinking about what those mysterious crates might contain, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The thing, or rather person, that caught her attention was a man, but not just any man, one that seemed extremely familiar.

'Wait….was that…no it couldn't be….could it?'

The man walked by her and as she analyzed him from head to toe.

The middle aged man was dressed in tattered, worn, brown overalls and a long, bright red shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. He wore a tool belt around his waist that, at the moment, didn't seem to hold anything. The pads on his knees seemed out of place, but so were the welding goggles that dangled around his neck. A single yellow glove was worn on his right hand as well as a yellow hard hat that obscured the top half of his face. The strangest thing about him wasn't the single out of place glove or the odd wrench emblems on his shoulders, but was the expression on his face. He had this intense stare of determination, one that said that he couldn't be swayed from his goal in anyway. As he turned the corner, disappearing from her sight, May returned to reality stunned at who had just walked by.

'What the hell?! Who the hell was that?! This has to be a coincidence, there's no way that was real. Maybe I'm just hallucinating, but...he had the emblems. There is no way that was a coincidence. Obviously there's no way that he is the real Engineer, so...maybe he's a fan. Yeah he's gotta be! He must be a cosplayer. Ooh I've gotta go get a picture with him. That costume is almost exact!'

May got up, grabbed her bag, and ran after the man with a huge smile on her face that she couldn't contain. So much was going through May's mind as she pursued the Engineer look alike. She still couldn't believe who she just saw. Even though cosplayers weren't unusual, one in this town seemed strangely out of place. Being that it was a middle aged man was even more unusual, but also was the fact that it was in the character's hometown.

As she rounded the same corner, she caught a glimpse of him walking into a dark alley.

'I have a bad feeling about this…' May thought, as she slowly walked down the alley.

Suddenly, she heard a loud bang that May assumed was the sound of a door being slammed shut. She walked down the alley and came across a lone door at the end.

'Well that's strange. Why would there only be one door in this alley?'

The door had a Keep Out sign that seemed rather suspicious. This one seemed rather new. A flimsy sign that looked as though it had been bought from a store. May knew that Keep Out signs were only used to hide something. The rusty door creaked loudly, as May slowly opened it. She walked through into a dark room, feeling the walls for a light switch. As she felt a switch between her fingers, she flicked it up, turning the lights on.

The room that May had entered was that of an office that seemed to have been abandoned for at least 10 years. There were several cramped cubical's protruding from the wall making the large room seem small. Only room was made for the small pathway that parted the squares in half.

'I feel bad for anyone who worked here. It seems like the kind of place where repetition was the norm.' May thought, walking down the small path.

A thick layer of dust covered everything from paper clips to the whole room. Thin sheets had been thrown over larger equipment, such as the desks and computers. May could see the computer's through the thin sheets, which seemed to be models from the early 90's.

'Man this place must have been shut down years ago. Wonder what this place used to be.'

May figured that the Engineer look alike went through the door on the other side. As she walked down the path, May heard an all too familiar whirling sound. It was a sound she had heard many times before.

'Wait did I- was that what I thought it was?!' May thought, having a surprised and confused look appear on her face.

May walked through the door and was faced with a room of immense size. It was the size of a small factory, except several of the machines had been taken out. A few still lined the wall, but with a majority of them gone, the room looked empty.

'This must belong to the same company's the other room had been.' she thought, looking around the enormous room.

The walls were dusted and covered in cobwebs just like the office was. The remaining machines that were bolted to the ground, were covered in a large cloth that too was covered in dust. Almost everything in the room looked like it hadn't been tampered with in years, except the contraption in the middle. It looked as though it had been used recently, as there was not a speck of dust or dirt on it. It was in pristine condition.

The Machine that stood in the middle of the room was surrounded by computer terminals and generators. Several computer terminals were shaped around the central machine in the middle like a square and were hooked up to the generators that surrounded them. The four generators were set as the corners of the" square" and were hooked to the terminals with thick cables. From the terminals, there were several small, thin cables that hooked to the central machine. The central machine looked like a chamber of sorts that was a tall cylinder shape with a sliding door that, at the moment, was shut tight. Oddly enough, the individual machines that hooked up to the cylinder were strangely familiar.

May wondered where she had heard that all too familiar sound from and figured that it must have come from inside that chamber.

'This thing looks like it was ripped straight from a sci-fi movie.' May thought.

Looking around the contraption, May wondered if she would be able to activate it and see what it did. She analyzed every button on the terminals, trying to determine what each of them did. There were at least 50 buttons on each terminal, which were unlabeled for the most part. The occasional button was labeled like one that said 'Osculate Electron Flux' and another that said-

"Hey maybe this is it." May said sarcastically.

Her voice broke the silence as she reached to press the green button. As the button was pressed, the machine whirled to life. The generators spun, creating a finite flow of electricity, while the terminals hummed as they powered on.

"For such a complicated machine the 'On' button was certainly easily labeled." May said to herself, fully knowing that no one was around to hear her.

Being that the machine was now on, May just needed to find out how to open the chamber. Luckily, just as the 'On' button had been labeled so easily, the 'Open Chamber' button was to.

'OK if you going to have a majority of the buttons have a complicated label, then why label certain one's with vocabulary that a 2 year old would know? Why would you make something that's supposed to be a secret so easy to turn on?' May thought with a confused look on her face.

Who ever had design this machine must have been a genius, but also an idiot.

None the less, just like the 'On' button had done, the 'Open Chamber' button had done exactly what it was labeled to do. The chamber's doors slid open to reveal a small looking rectangular contraption. May walked forward to take a better look at the inside of the chamber and had found that there were two of the rectangular contraptions, one on the floor and one on the ceiling. Both were whirling with life, emitting a bright red glow that enveloped the gap between them. The first good glimpse she got of the contraption confirmed what she thought she had heard just a few minutes ago.

"Holy crap! It is! It really was a teleporter!" May screamed in disbelief, fidgeted wildly from excitement.

She couldn't believe what she was looking at right now. There was no way this was real, it couldn't be, it was impossible. It looked just like the teleporters, except there were two that intercepted each other. Why was there generators hooked to this strange contraption? Was it used to supply the teleporters with more power for a more powerful transport? May could only answer those questions one way.

She cautiously stepped into the chamber, thinking about whether or not this was a good idea or not. As she stepped right in the middle of the two teleporters, the doors slid shut and the whirling became faster and faster.

'I wonder if this even wo-'

May's thought was cut off as she was broken down molecule by molecule and transported elsewhere. She was gone from this reality, transported to another.

A monitor on one of the terminals flashed as May disappeared. The screen said:

Destination: Teufort

* * *

**Yup this is where the story's going. Hope it doesn't disappoint anyone. I've always wanted to write a legit story with this kind of plot, just to have some fun with it and see how I can link the real world to the gaming world. Trust me I'm going to try and explain as much things as I can come up with. Oh and I won't give anything away ,but I have (what I believe) is a really neat idea with the BLU team. Again can't give anything away, you'll just have to wait. While on topic of the plot, I actually had a few other idea's instead of the teleporter but it would have been classified as a completely different story and I was wanting to write this way to much. Maybe I'll use the ideas in another story.**

**Teleportation is a better plot device than being sucked through a computer screen isn't it? Is that just me? Ok well the explanation is better how about that?**

**Fun Fact: **

**Remember when it said May's father was probably the worst TF2 player she had seen? Yeah it's true. My dad is abysmal at games. One time, back when I played Runescape, the man got stuck on a door for 20 minutes. He couldn't figure out how to open it, despite me giving him instructions (keep in mind this was over the phone). When I finally got him to play TF2...oh boy he really is the worst player ever. He can't navigate the maps even the slightest bit...in fact he can barely move and shoot. watching him from a third person view is really sad. He moves like a snail and has at least a 2 second reaction time. He even asked "where is left?" one time...yeah, I banged my head on the desk out of frustration... eh despite everything I still love him.**


	5. Chapter 5

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Ok first off I apologize for the terrible, inconsistent "accents" you are about to read. I didn't want to over do them to the point of it being a bit hard to read or even confusing.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Had a lot of fun trying to step into the shoes of the characters and write about stuff they might do (again might). Keep in mind that I'm not use to trying to write a bunch of different characters at once, so some dialogue might be a bit off. As the story goes on, the dialogue should get better, as well as the writing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Secrets**

* * *

The Engineer had just walked into the Rec room, where his fellow mercenaries were currently situated. He went to the refrigerator and searched for one of his beloved Red Shed beers. One nestled in the back of the fridge between some cans of Bonk and month old pizza caught his eye.

"Ahh. Just what I need." The Texan said.

He grabbed the bottle and headed for a table in the corner. The Engineer sat there, satisfying his thirst while getting an entertaining show from his fellow coworkers.

Their local Russian was nothing short of stereotypical. He was a large man, both in muscle and fat, that tended to overshadow the other mercenaries. His large statue complimented his strength. Unlike the other mercenaries, The Heavy was not in need of a melee weapon. His fists alone were enough to hurt as much, if not more than, any other weapon. His beloved mini gun, Sasha, was his main weapon of choice. Her high death rate was something that was loved by the man.

In and out of battle, the Heavy wore black vest with a white collared red t-shirt that adorned a fist emblem on both shoulders. A sash of bullets was worn over his shoulder in case he were ever in desperate need of some, but for the most part, it was used as decoration. His light brown/gray pants were held up with a black belt, while his boots, that reach about three inches above his ankles, were strapped comfortable on him.

The Heavy was sitting on the couch, causing it to bend with his weight, talking to the Medic about their recent battle.

The Medic was a Teutonic man of medicine from Germany. Compared to the Russian sitting next to him, he was much smaller in size. He wore small round glasses upon his face, that always tended to slide down, forcing him to push them back up the bridge of his nose. He had a sturdy build, with a square jaw and jet black hair that had started graying on the sides.

For his attire, the man wore a long lab coat that's back extended almost to the ground. While the back of the coat was tall, the front only reached to his waist, where it circled down, exposing his legs. The buttoning on the coat sat on the left side of his chest, which consisted of three large brown buttons. just like the heavy, on his shoulders he wore an emblem, but of a medical cross instead of a fist. A formal white shirt and red tie could be seen around his neck. His brown pants seemed to flare out where it met his knee length, black boots.

During battles, a tool belt of sorts sits around his waist, that connects to his primary weapon, the medi gun, which heals whoever it is locked on to. His main method of injuring his opponents is a gun that is fitted to shoot syringes at a high rate, or otherwise known as a syringe gun. For melee, the Medic uses a simple bonesaw to painful cut through his enemies bones.

The two together looked like an odd pair. It was almost as if a cat and mouse were conversing with each other.

"Doctor, I wish you would stay with Heavy and Sasha like in old days." He said, in broken English with a thick Russian accent.

The hulking man attempted a puppy dog look on his face, which was mostly a failure, as he looked more like a mix between a sad and angry bear.

"Herr Heavy, I have told you zhat being your so called "Pocket Medic" is bad for zhe team. I can't just focus on you. I must keep the rest of zhe team alive. Besides I always come back and protect you vith zhe Uber, nein?" The Medic responded, emotions absent from his voice.

He hadn't bothered to look at the Heavy's pleading face, making his attempted puppy dog look completely useless.

"Of course, doctor. I just wish you would be around more. It get lonely in leetle baby BLU's base. No feeling of protection." The Heavy said, pouting.

"I have told you Herr Heavy, I must protect zhe rest of zhe team. You aren't zhe only one who needs medical aid. Sticking strictly with you caused our team to constantly lose. Remember those days? Do you want to go back to loosing zhe battles?" He asked with a, still, emotionless voice.

"Nyet, of course not doctor...I will leave you to go make sandvich now…"

The Heavy got up from the sofa, allowing it bend back to its normal position. Once the Heavy left the room, the Medic sighed in relief.

"Vhy does zhat man think zhat I am his personal medic?" he said, taking his glasses off to massage his temples.

His sigh was a mix of relief and frustration. He just didn't understand why the Heavy wanted him to be his "Pocket Medic" as the other team had called him. If they wanted to win this war, he would have to heal whoever was injured, not just over heal one person. With a headache, the Medic got up off of the couch and head back to the medical bay.

The Scout and Soldier were in a heated argument over, what appeared to be, the Scout himself.

Unlike the rest of the men, the Scout was a scrawny, Bostonian. He was small and skinny, which complimented his speed nicely. His features were not as jagged as his fellow mercenaries. The Scout had more kiddish features that soft rather than rough.

He wore a red t-shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, much like a 50's gangster. Dog tags hung around his neck, jangling every time he ran. His baggy brown pants, held up by a belt with a large buckle, ended just below the knee, where his knee high socks met. Black base ball shoes with two right stripes set on his feet, while on the other end of his body, a simple black cap with a yellow, one sided headset adorns his head. Bandages wrap around his hands completely, most likely due to his love, and use of the baseball bat.

His melee weapon of choice is a simple metal bat, used to bash in his opponents skull. The main weapon, or primary, is a scattergun, a double-barreled shotgun that is effective in close range.

The Soldier on the other hand, is the complete opposite of the Scout. Instead of being a small, fast man, the Soldier is large and slow. His bulk slows him down, but allows him to wield powerful weapons. His ruggish features made him out to be a man's man, which he certainly was. This American prided himself in being patriotic and a man.

An over sized helmet, obtained from a fallen Nazi enemy, covered the Soldier's eyes. a long red coat extended down past his waist, while folded out around his neck, exposing a white undershirt. A brown sash held two pineapple grenades, that he often used for juggling when bored or feeling the need to taunt the enemy. A thick belt with three different pouches of varying size, was strapped around his waist. Pants similar to the Scout's were worn with knee length army boots.

The two opposite fought with each other, making quite a commotion.

"What-the-hell?! I ain't doin that! There is no freakin way that I will get a haircut, not to mention eat your nasty protein shake!" the Bostonian shouted at the Soldier.

"Yes you will Maggot! You will do what your superiors tell you to do! You WILL get a haircut and you WILL drink my Maggot protein shake!" The American yelled in the Scout's face.

"Wait- YOUR WHAT?! YOU MEAN THAT THING IS REALLY MADE OF MAGGOTS?! That's freakin disgusting, you batty old man!"

The Scout had a look on his face that made it look as though he were about to puke from from the Soldier mentioning maggots being made into a protein shake.

"No, Maggot! It is not made from maggots! Maggot!" the soldier responded.

"Oh yeah?! Then what the hell is it made from?!"

"Why just good old MUTANT Maggots, fermented milk, and eggs that have been cooking in the sun for a week." The soldier replied with a smile on his face, no doubt proud at the concoction he had created.

He hadn't noticed the Scout running over to the trashcan and throwing half of his body into it, in order to vomit. The Scout finally stopped up chucking his dinner and responded to the Soldier.

"What the hell man! That's even nastier! What the hell is an mutant maggot anyways?!" said the Scout, wiping the remaining vomit from his mouth.

"My own Maggots are 100% American. They're feed radioactive waste of True Americans every day, until they grow to be good, fat, and glowing. When they get that big and as bright as a lightbulb, in the blender they go!" the soldier said, measuring with his arms to about two feet.

"Seriously Soldier that's freakin disgusting and dangerous! I will never. I repeat NEVER drink anything you make!"

"Do not disrespect your superior's maggot! Now about that haircut..." The soldier pulled out a pair of scissors from his back pocket, causing the Scout to start panicking.

"Uh no freakin way!" the Scout said, backing away from the advancing Soldier.

"Come here cupcake!"

The Soldier chased the Scout out of the room, but the Soldier was unable to keep up with the speedy boy.

"I'm not even winded!" the Scout yelled back at the wheezing Soldier.

There was no way the Soldier would have been able to catch the Scout. The speedy jack rabbit was too fast for his tastes. He believed that speed was for cowards, and that brawn was always the way to win a battle. The Soldier figured that he would be able to win with pure force, so he took out his rocket launcher (out of where we will never know), loaded it, and pointed it down the hall in the direction of a panicking Scout.

"Are you crazy?! You better not fire that rocket!" The Scout said in a panicked voice.

He had nowhere to go. The Scout had run down to the end of the hall, with nowhere to escape to.

"This'll teach you a lesson maggot!"

He fired his rocket at a perfect 90 degree angle, straight towards the middle of the hallway, ensuring that the Scout was unable to escape. The hall was to narrow for the Scout to just avoid it and to short for him to jump over. He was officially screwed.

The screaming Scout was soon silenced by the explosion of the rocket. The shot was a direct hit, right in the middle of his chest. The Scout's limbs flew up into the air and fell into a bloody pile on the linoleum floor.

The Soldier was standing in front of the Scout's remains, laughing like a maniac. While he was distracted by his latest triumph, he didn't notice the Scout sneaking up behind him, pissed off that he had just been killed by a man who wanted to cut his hair.

"Here's your lesson back old man!" The Soldier tuned around to see a Scattergun point directly in his face. Before he could react though, the Soldier's head was blasted into a million pieces by the scattered pellets of the Scout's Scattergun .

Just like the Scout, the Soldier soon respawned and vowed to get his revenge. The Scout was standing over the Soldier's headless body, making the same mistake the Soldier did. Soon, he felt a shotgun pushed against his head, causing him to realize his mistake.

"Aw, crap…"

Again the Scout was killed, but this time instead of being blown to a million pieces, he had his head blown off by a shotgun, just as he had done with the Soldier.

The two's stupidity made it so they continued the cycle of killing each other all night.

The Engineer could hear the two's duel going on down the hall. He sighed at the fact that two of his co-workers were stupid enough to become locked in a battle with each other. After nodding his head in disapproval at the Scout and Solider, he turned his attention to the Sniper who was looking through their poor library of books.

The Sniper was a man who hailed from the land down under, Australia. He was an outdoors man, who preferred solitude, as shown by the fact that he lived in his van, away from everyone. He was a tall and lanky mercenary who had ruggish features, similar to the Soldier, but hardened by the time he had spent in the out back.

The bushman wore a brown vest that had two closed pockets on the bottom and one on his right chest that held a few bullets. The part of the vest, below the chest, was a darker brown than the top half. Under the vest was a long sleeved v-neck that was rolled up to his elbows. Like many of the others, on his shoulders were two symbols that this time, were the scope of a sniper rifle. A white undershirt could be seen from behind the V, covering any part of his chest. a side satchel was attached to his right hip, which held bullets for his weapons. Long, brown grayish pants covered his pointed brown boots. On his left arm, he wore a single brown bikers glove and a watch. His most signature features though were the yellow tinted aviator glasses and the brown akubra, which had the left side of its brim folded upwards.

Being that he was the Sniper, his main weapon was a sniper rifle, used to instantly kill enemies from a long distance with a headshot. His choice of melee was in fact, a large knife known as a kukri.

"The one time I feel like reading, all there is, is crap." The Australian muttered, as he was shuffling through their sad excuse for a library.

Their "library" was really whatever the mercenaries had brought when initially joining RED. A few of the men kept their "books" up to date, such as the Scout's with his comics and the Soldier's with his War magazines, but for the most part, it stayed largely the same. German medical books, Scottish stories pertaining to the Lochness monster, Russian literature, engineering books, french cookbooks, comics, magazines and oddly enough, children's fairy tales all sat their on their "library" shelf, normally, but after a case where the Soldier was stealing the other's reading materials, everyone tended to keep their stuff locked up in their room. All that sat their now were magazines and comics.

"Maybe I'll just read one of Scout's comics...It's at least better than the 15 Playboy magazines here..."

The Sniper grabbed the stack of comics and headed out of the room, presumably towards his van. As the Sniper left, the Engineer searched the room once again for any of his fellow mercenaries to observe.

The Engineer got a kick out of watching his co-workers every day lives. They were so ignorant as to what was really going on, and what they were really fighting for.

The only person left in the room, besides the Engineer himself, was the Pyro. The Firebug was standing in the corner, doing nothing but standing perfectly still.

The Pyro was an interesting...thing. Nobody knew where it came from, who it was, or even what gender it was (if it even had one). It never spoke, except for the occasional maniacal laugh or call for medic during a battle that was muffled by the mask it always wore. Outside of battle he secluded himself from everyone, never speaking or joining any conversations. He would just stand there, staring at his fellow mercenaries. No one ever saw it eat, sleep, or even use the bathroom. It was like a robot, only creepier.

It wore an asbestos suit that covered it from its neck to its feet. While think fire retardant boots protected its feet, a black gas mask shielded its face from the outside world. A gas tank was strapped to its back, which seemed to supply it with oxygen. Black gloves, with a yellow stripe on the top and yellow finger tips, covered and protected its hands. A sash of napalm grenades extended across its chest, no matter what type of day it was.

Being that its title was, the Pyro, its primary weapon was a homemade flamethrower, that it used to set people on fire and burn them to death. It's secondary was usually a shotgun, but it often loved to use the flare gun, which it used to set people of fire from a longer distance away. Ironically, its melee was a fire axe, which, in the normal world, was used to help put out or navigate through fires.

Seeing as how the Engineer was the only person left in the room, the Pyro's head was turned towards him. Even though the Engineer couldn't see its eyes, he could feel it staring at him, straight down into his soul. The mask and suit hid any visible skin and hid the thing's personality. The Engineer had always thought that before the suit, that thing was a person but something about that suit caused it to become whatever it was now.

Both stared at each other for a few minutes until the Engineer finally gave up. How could he win a staring contest when his opponents eyes were shielded behind a mask. He got up and left the Rec Room, heading down the hall to his workshop. As he was walking down the hall, the Spy appeared in front of him, come out of hiding.

The Spy, was indeed a man shrouded in mystery. No one knew of his origins, other than he was from France, and he, never fully showed his face.

He wore a red balaclava that shrouded most of his face, excluding the area around his eyes and mouth. Being that he was a man of fine tastes, he adorned an Italian, red pinstriped suit with a red tie to compliment it. Black Italian shoes also sat upon his feet, and for a man who prided himself in being a gentleman, he sure was a backstabber.

His title being the Spy, he used a simple butterfly knife to back stab his enemies, after deceiving them. To deceive, he used a disguise kit that allowed him to take the form of a member of the opposing team and a cloaking watch, that allowed him to become fully invisible for a short amount of time. For a gun, he used a weak revolver because he was rarely in need of facing an opponent head on.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Where 'ave you been Dell? I saw you disappear into your workshop as I was planning to ask you about how zhe recent battle went for you. After waiting 20 minutes for you to come out, I decided to go in after you in hopes to strike up a conversation. What confuses me is zhat when I entered your work shop, you were no where to be found. Where did you go, laborer?" The Frenchman said, interrogating the Texan.

"That is none of your dog gone business Frenchie. And remember, we aren't allowed to use each others real names. We must call each other by out assigned class. If the Administrator hears us," he pointed at the not so discretely hidden camera in the corner," well...you know what that woman can do."

"Fine, Eng-i-neer, but we both know zhat you know something zhat none of us know.

"..."

"I am right, non?"

He took out his Disguise Kit and pulled out one of the many cigarettes that he stashed away in it and lit it.

"You cannot deny zhat I am not. What are you hiding?" he released a puff of smoke.

"..."

"Remember I am a spy mon ami. I will find out eventually. I 'ave my ways of getting zhe information I desire."

"Alright fine I'll tell you...or rather I'll show you." The Engineer said, with a defeated look.

The two entered the workshop, with the Spy looking all over the room, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

"What is zhis? I see nothing but zhe usual junk!" the Spy screamed out of frustration.

He thought he was just about to find out what his colleague had been hiding, but all he saw was junk.

"Now partner, none of this here is junk. Everything here can be crafted into a masterpiece. In fact I can even make you a hat. Would you like one?" he said with a smirk.

"Non! I would like to know zhis secret you 'ave been keeping from us!" the Spy shouted.

The Engineer stood there, still, with a smart ass smirk on his face.

"Now Frenchie did you really think I would give in that ea-"

He was interrupted by a loud whirling noise that he had recognized to be his secret. That noise shouldn't have occurred with out him operating the machine.

'Not now. Why now' he thought. Unbeknownst to him, he had a look of fear on his face. The Spy knew that had been what he was hiding, had just been revealed to him.

"What was zhat? Was zhat your little secret?" he said with a grin on his face.

The Spy walked over to where he had heard the sound come from, but was faced with a wall.

"What is behind zhis wall?!" he took out his revolver, pointing it at the Engineer,"Show me!"

"Now Frenchie, we both know that you wouldn't shoot me. I'm your own team-mate." he said with a wavering voice.

"Non? You will respawn but... I think we both know you wouldn't want to 'ave go through zhat proccess." he said, still smirking.

The Spy was right, he didn't want to go through that awful process. Respawning caused a pain that was a thousand times more excruciating than dying. Having your every molecule ripped apart and reconstructed hurt like hell, literally. Having wounds hurt even worse because your molecules would stretch in order to fill in the wound. He couldn't understand why the Scout and Soldier kept on killing each other. Having to go through that process several times in 10 minutes would be unbearable. The Engineer knew the Scout didn't have too high of a pain tolerance, so he had no idea how he was able to go through it again and again. At least when you cam back to life, ending up on the floor of the respawn room, all the pain was gone. Though the pain only lasted a few seconds, it was bad enough to feel like an eternity.

"Fine..."

Defeated, the Engineer got up and headed towards the wall the Spy had been facing. The Spy put away his revolver as he saw the Engineer moving a box to the left. It was revealed that behind the box was a door, a small door that forced the person to get on their hands and knees in order to enter it.

"Non, I refuse to get down on my knee's and crawl through. It is undignified."

"Frenchie, if you want to know what I've been keeping from everyone, then it might be in your best interest to do it."

"Fine...merde..."

Both got down and crawled through the small door. When the Spy stood up into the newly revealed room, he felt like the need to gasp in awe as to what had been presented before him, but he knew better than to show emotion, especially positive ones. Anger was the only emotion he allowed himself to show, as it could be used to his advantage.

The room was fairly small, but was entirely filled with some kind of machine. The computer terminals were lit up and the generators were powered up, supplying energy to the rest of the machine.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

The Engineer ran over to the machine, checking every computer screen, desperately trying to find out what was going on. He was fiddling with all the buttons and running from screen to screen before stopping and staring at disbelief at one.

"No, this can't be happening! How the hell did this happen!"

"Dell what zhe hell is going on!"

"It's transporting someone! This shouldn't be happening! Why the hell is it transporting someone?! Who the hell is it transporting and how the hell did they find it?!"

The Engineer wanted to stop it but he knew if he stopped it, whoever was being teleported would be killed because of their molecules being between the receiver and the sender. All he could do is wait for the transportation to be complete. Whoever it was, whether they were good of bad, he need to be prepared for the worst. He ran to the corner, grabbed his shotgun, and pointed it directly at the chamber, waiting for the chamber door to slide open.

A few, seconds later, the machine started powering down, signaling that the transportation had been complete and that the doors were about to open. While the Engineer tensed up and aimed his shotgun in the dead center of the the door, The Spy was standing there in confusion, completely aghast as to what was going on.

As the Engineer stared at the door, he stood completely still until the door started to open, startling the Engineer, causing him to flinch. The contents of the chamber caused both of their jaws to hit the ground. This time, the Spy hadn't been able to contain his emotions. The shotgun hit the ground with a loud clank. Neither of them responded to the sound, but instead stared at the person who was standing inside the chamber.

How could a young girl have figured out how to use his machine. More importantly, what are they going to do with her.

The girl stood there, completely still, like she was frozen in time. Suddenly she jerked to life, but not for long. As quickly as she had come back to life, she quickly went back out of it. She fainted, falling out of the chamber, and onto the floor in front of her.

The Spy and Engineer were still staring in disbelief as the young girl laid unconscious on the floor. After several seconds of silence, the Spy finally spoke up.

"Who zhe hell is zhat?!"

The Engineer just stood there, staring at the unconscious girl.

Her long brown hair, despite being pulled back, draped in front of her face. The purple, unzipped, jacket and red and blue tye die t-shit were cluttered together along with her blue jeans and sneakers. She laid there, unconscious from the transport.

"I-I have no idea... w-we should probably do something about her. Can't let anyone know about her, especially the Administrator."

"For once I agree. Can we send 'er back?"

"No, the teleporter takes a few days to recharge, depending on how close together the teleports are. Two teleports that are fairly close together completely drains the generators. It'll take approximately 5 days to recharge."

"5 days?! What zhe hell are we going to do with 'er for 5 days?!" the Spy screamed out.

The Engineer thought about what to do. This young girl would eventually be revealed to the rest of the team. There was no way of keeping her a secret forever.

"Well, for the time being we can lie her on my bed, until she wakes up. There's no dog gone way we will be able to keep her from the rest of the team."

"Well...our team does consist of complete idiots..."

The Engineer turned to him with a scowl on his face as a reactant to what he had just said about his "friends." Sure some may act like idiots (specifically the Soldier), but he knew they were smarter than that. If they didn't tell them about her, they would end up finding out anyhow.

This girl was going to change every thing. His team mates would ask about where she had come from and he knew he wouldn't be able to lie. They would have to be told the truth.

The Engineer's thoughts were interrupted by the Spy going back to questioning him.

"You said that it takes two teleportations to drain zhis-zhis machine, right?

"Correct."

"Zhen who zhe hell took zhe first teleportation?" he asked, glaring at the Engineer.

"I-I did." The cat was out of the bag. There was no way he would get away without telling the Spy.

"What zhe hell is going on here?! I demand you to Tell me everything!" the Spy demanded.

"Alright, alright but it will be quite shocking. You might want to have a seat."

* * *

**The reason why no one hears the Engineer teleporting is because the walls of the workshop that connect to the hall are soundproof, but the other walls inside aren't, which is why they were able to hear it.**

**And the Sniper is not gay, for anyone wondering. He just perfers different types of literature.**

**Fun Fact: **

**The Medic is the easiest character for me to write, probably because he is my favorite (though the Sniper is a very close second). The Spy is quite difficult because he acts all polite and sophisticated, so he uses more complicated words. The Soldier? Just pretend your a crazed American soldier who calls everyone maggot and the stuff pretty much writes itself.**

**The Heavy is simple, broken English. The Demoman is just as he's describe, a drunken Scott, and the rest...eh, their up on the medium scale of difficulty, thought the Scout can get a bit difficult at points.**


	6. Chapter 6

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**NOTE: Screwed up on the years. The game is based in 1968, not 1969. I always seem to get that mixed up, so now this world is in 1974.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Meet the Girl**

* * *

May began to hear the world around her, once more. She didn't yet have the strength to move, but she was able to hear what sounded like two men. Since she still wasn't fully conscious, their voices were garbled and sounded like they were talking with socks in their mouths. From what she could hear, it sounded like one man was yelling at the other. Wait, why was she even worrying about what the two men were saying to each other? What even happened? Why did she black out?

She recalled her most recent memory. She remembered stepping into some machine that held what looked like two teleporters from Team Fortress 2. As soon as it activated, she experienced an intense sensation that was to much for her to handle. She felt like her body was being broken down into tiny little bits and then thrown thousands of miles in a millisecond. The force was incredible. She had never gone through anything so intense before. It wasn't that it hurt, oh no it didn't hurt in the slightest, it was that being flung through...somewhere in just a short amount of time was just to much for her to handle.

Halfway through the toss, May felt as though she had been shifted to another plain. The shift was subtle, but it was still enough for her to notice it. Shortly after it shifted, she stopped dead in her tracks. She remembered gaining her consciousness back for a split second, but then falling back out of it the next.

Now she was lying somewhere, somewhere soft. Maybe a bed? Yeah it must have been a bed.

'Oh god...Where am I?' she faintly thought.

May was gaining her strength back, slowly, and could now hear the two voices more clearly.

* * *

"What zhe hell?! Zhis is impossible! We cannot be!" Was that the Spy, May thought.

"It's the truth Frenchie. Does it sound like something I could make up?"

'Ugh, why do those two sound familiar?' May thought.

She was gaining back more and more strength as each second passed, but was still unable to think straight. Now she felt like she had enough to be able to open her eyes and see what was really going on.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her vision came back to her. She was staring at what appeared to be, a normal boring old ceiling. At first it was blurry, but as she blinked more and more, her vision slowly started to focus. Yup it was a plain white ceiling.

When she regained her eyesight completely, she could still hear the two men talking. She shifted in the bed slightly, which seemed to cause the two men to abruptly stop talking.

May attempted to sit up, only realize that she was being restrained.

"What? Why am I tied up?!" she said, in a faint voice.

She could still only see the ceiling above her, but she soon heard footsteps come towards her. The next thing she knew, she saw the faces of two people she instantly recognized. The one on the left was the last person she had seen, the one she had followed. The man on the right she hadn't seen before, at least not in person. May was thoroughly shocked at who was staring at her. For a few confused seconds, she stared at them, her mind completely boggled. Finally, the Engineer spoke to her.

"How the hell did you find my machine?"

May, still in shock, said nothing and only stared at the two men before her.

"Answer me!" he yelled as he pulled out a pistol from his tool belt.

She gasped in surprise, as one of her most loved characters had just pointed a gun at her.

"I-I followed you into some factory, warehouse, whatever that was!" she said, in a panicked state.

"Why did you follow me?!" The Engineer was getting frustrated. He didn't know why there was a girl here and how she even got here. There was no way she came as a BLU Spy, as that was downright impossible.

"I-I"

She didn't know what to say. She hesitated telling him the truth, because she didn't know if they knew or if what she knew was even the truth. Considering she had a gun pointed right at her, she decided to confess and hope for the best.

"I-I thought you were an Engineer cosplayer."

"A what? What in tarnation is that?"

"I-It's a, um, person who likes to dress up as a character from, uh, a game, movie, book or anything really."

"Who the hell did you think I was dressed up as?" The Engineer started to show a confused look on his face.

"Uh the Engineer, Fr-from a game called Team Fortress 2." There was no going back now. No matter what she would have to tell them, even if it was wrong.

"..."

The Engineer was contemplating what he had just been told, while the calm and collected Spy was just standing next to him. She could tell that behind his emotionless face he was suppressing a surge of emotion. He was trying to hard to suppress them, that it became as noticeable as if he hadn't.

"Uh, would you, uh, like me to explain?" she asked, stuttering.

"Oui, if you would. See I am quite new to zhis...theory, but Dell here seems to be quite familiar with it. If you be so kind as to explain."

"O-ok...I'm guessing you guys think your real, right?"

"What do you mean real? Of course we are real, I am standing right in front of you, non?"

"Um, what I mean is...if you don't mind me asking, who are you exactly."

"That's none of your business little lady." the Engineer said, putting his pistol away, not feeling the need to have it out anymore, as it was obviously making the girl nervous.

"But it is if you are wanting an explanation." she said, still nervous.

The two men stood there, deciding whether or not they should tell this strange young girl who they were. Eventually they decided to, but the Engineer spoke first.

"I am Dell Conagher, the Reliable Excavation Demolition's Engineer. I construct sentries, dispensers and teleporters during fights that aid the rest of my team. This here," he pointed to the man next to him, "Is our-"

"I am zheir Spy. Being zhat I am a Spy, I will not be giving you my name madmoiselle, but if you must know, I do what spies do. I disguise my self as zhe enemy, lie, deceive and back stab. Zhough these are certainly strange circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you ma cheri." He leaned down and kissed her bound hand, just as any gentleman would.

"Man, I can't believe you guys are real..." she muttered, "OK, now I can explain who you are, at least in my world...I think...if this is even the same world...this is confusing..."

May was holding back her excitement. She was standing (well lying down really) face to face with two characters out of her favorite game.

"Well, first off I have absolutely no idea what is going on, but I will explain to the best of my ability. Ok...this is confusing...assuming that this is another world, than in MY world, you guys are part of a video game called Team Fortress 2. You are characters that can be controlled by anyone, at any time."

"Non..."

"See Frenchie I told you I wasn't lyin'."

"Wait...so you guys knew?!" May asked, in shock.

"Well, technically I was the only one who knew till about 10 minutes ago. This no good Spy happened to be suspicious of me about the time you showed up, and was tryin' to figure out this secret that I had been keeping. I wasn't planning on showing him, but then you showed up, causing the machine to make a loud noise, essentially blowing any cover I had on this damn secret." he said in frustration.

"I-I'm sorry about that...look I would like you to explain what I know later, seeing as how I am just as confused as you two, but first, would you please untie me. I am no threat to you, trust me." she finally allowed herself to grin.

She just couldn't believe who she was talking to.

The girl was right, the Engineer saw no threat in her, so he undid the ropes that were bounding her to the bed. May got up and stretched, then continued talking.

"Ah, thank you. OK, back to what I was saying, you guys are video game characters from a g-"

"Pardon moi for interrupting but, what is zhis video game you speak of?" the Spy asked.

"Oh sorry I forgot you guys are based in 1968, before video games were really marketed to the public."

"Actually it's 1974." the Engineer said.

"That means time must flow the same as back home..." she muttered.

"As you were saying madmoiselle."

"Right, um... a video game is kind of like a movie that you can control. You use a controller to control whatever you want your character to do. Run, walk, shoot, anything that the game is programmed to do. It's really quite difficult for me to explain."

"Zhat is alright but zhis...is just astonishing..."

"I told you it would be a lot to take in, Frenchie."

"Wait, so you knew this whole time about this?" May said, pointing at the Engineer.

"Well not necessarily the whole time. See I found out about a year ago."

"OK. Well if you don't mind, you should tell us about that later, but back to explaining...See in my world, this entire...everything," she motioned her hands to everything and everyone around her, "is all fictional. None of this exists, except as an entertaining, popular online game."

"But, zhat is impossible! We are obviously not part of some game, we are real"

"Well, I do have a theory that I'm sure the Engineer can confirm or not for me. See that telelporter he built, I think, doesn't just teleport to another part of the world, but also teleports to 'another world.' so to speak." she said, with air quotations.

"From what I can tell, your right, er...I'm sorry we didn't ask you name."

"May, my name is May Flowers, ironic huh?"

"Quite, but zhe name is a nice one. It's got a nice ring to it mademoiselle."

"Thanks. Hey, just wondering but is it OK if I ask you guys some questions? Actually I've got a lot."

"I suppose we've got plenty of time, right Spook?"

"Oui. I 'ave got nothing better to do, besides I am quite interested in zhe answers zhe laborer will give." he said with a smirk that was directed towards the Engineer.

The Engineer glared at the Spy, essentially slapping the smirk right off of his face.

"OK, May. Shoot."

"OK this may take a while..."

* * *

**Fun Fact: **

**I don't have a good one, but I was debating between 'Meet the Girl' and 'Meet the May' for a chapter name. You can see which one won, after revision.**


	7. Chapter 7

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: This chapter went on forever. Finally decided to stop it where it ends, cause I had to break it up in a good spot. Please tell me if I am messing up their accents cause I'm pretty sure I'm screwing someone up other than, maybe the Sniper who seems to not have an accent when I write him...**

**P.S. I will not be using other languages for the characters like the Spy and Medic. I will stick with the words they say in quotes, even if they're wrong, like the Medic's. Even though I know a little French, I don't trust my "skills" whatsoever.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: I Won't Be Home For the Holidays**

* * *

The three of them certainly were a strange sight. The two men in the group were being interrogated by a girl. Though the Spy didn't show much interest on the outside, he was actually ecstatic to hear the Engineer's answers to the girls' questions. The more and more the Engineer answered, the more everything began to make sense.

"Ok first, and probably the most important question, how did you find out that you guys were part of a video game?" May asked.

"Well...this will be a long explanation, so get ready."

* * *

They had just horribly lost the day's battle, being completely destroyed by the BLU's. None of them were focused that day, due to the thoughts of the upcoming Christmas holiday break they had been promised. After 4 years, the Administrator was finally merciful and let them all have a week of for the holidays, in order to have a much needed relaxation period. The war they had been fighting had gone on for 4 straight years with no extended break. Sure they had weekends off, but it wasn't enough time to go home and visit family.

While not everyone had a home or family to go to, all 9 mercenaries agreed that it was time for a break...3 years ago.

* * *

The first year they had spent fighting together had been rough. They were still getting use to how this war worked and were only allowed their stock weapons. The weapons all balanced each other out, making sure that no man had a distinct advantage over the others. Unfortunately, this caused the men to become bored with the constant stalemates that ensured over the year of war. They wanted excitement, unbalanced excitement. The stalemates were boring and draining. They would fight their hardest, just to end up in a draw. The constant verbal out lashes from their boss drained their energy even more. They still fought normally, but they were in desperate need of a break.

Since they joined, none of the men were given any time to return home to family. The weekend cease fires were only enough time to recuperate for the upcoming week and visit the nearby town of Teufort. When the holiday season came around, they were disappointed not to hear anything about having a Christmas break. For all they knew, they would end up having to fight the BLU's on Christmas. The RED's knew the BLU's wouldn't mind this, seeing as how they were blood thirsty animals that only cared for fighting, but for them, they had loved ones that they desperately wished to see.

One day after a battle, a week before Christmas, the RED's gathered to discuss a way to convince the Administrator to allow them at least Christmas off.

"If Christmas vere on a veekend zhen zhat vould guarantee a cease fire but, it being on a Monday, zhere is no way she vould call a cease fire."

The Medic was right. There was no way the cold hearted Administrator would call a cease fire just because it was a holiday. They didn't have any holiday off up until then, unless it happened to come on the weekend.

"Fritz is right! That woman will force us to fight on Christmas. I love war, but fighting on Christmas is un-American!" The Soldier shouted in agreement.

"I think we still need to try. I need to go back home and visit my mum and dad. Me mum worries about me because of this job and I think it would relieve some of her stress if I were to go home for the holidays." the Sniper said, "Besides, my dad thinks I'm a crazed gunman! I need to talk with him in person to prove that I'm a professional."

"Nobody cares about your parental problems, Bushman. As for me, I could care less if we get zhe holiday off or not. I have no family to see, so zhis is not my problem...though I will agree zhat it would be nice to have a day other zhan weekends off." the Spy said with an uncaring expression on his face as he released a puff of smoke.

"Unlike you I actually have family to visit!" the Scout replied. "I got my ma and 7 brothers to return to! I haven't seen my ma in almost a year! I'd like to go home for Christmas. Man, I can already smell Ma's Christmas turkey."

he could already taste the turkey he craved, but his hopes were soon dashed when he remembered why they were having this conversation in the first place.

"Aw forget it! There's no way that old hag will change her mind." frustrated, the Scout fell to the floor as disappointment and hunger set in.

"I reckon your right son, there ain't no way Helen will change her mind, but we can give it a shot anyway. There's no harm in trying right?"

The Engineer already knew it was hopeless, but they could try anyway.

"Ay, the Lad is right! There's no harm in tryin! I'll go contact that old witch right now!" the Scotsman said. He rushed to the phone as fast as a one eyed Cyclops could.

A black Scottish cyclops was just as he describe himself as, and he was right. The man wore an eye patch, much like a pirate, over his left eye socket. At the age of seven, his eye had been possessed by the magical book known as the Bombinomicon, turning it into a creature named Monoculus.

The Demoman wore a red onesie which covered ended just pass the knees and up to his elbows, where from then on, a white undershirt could be seen, extending down to his hands. The black vest had six yellow, gray striped, grenades strapped to is that jiggled around when he moved. Short black boots were tall enough to cover the rest of his leg that wasn't covered by the onesie, showing his skin. The black eye patch and black beanie sat upon his head, giving him a mixed look of an evil villain and a chilled hippie.

His weapons of choice were of his own creations. The grenade launcher and sticky bomb launcher were created by himself, and used effectively against the enemy. While the grenade launcher was used more for offense, the sticky bomb launcher was used as defense, setting up traps and waiting for unexpected enemies to walk by it. Originally, his melee weapon had been the bottle of scrumpy he used to take into battle, but ever since obtaining the Eyelander, the Demoman had the sword strapped to his side at all times during a battle.

The rest of the men knew they would have had to face her with this problem at some point, so they didn't bother to stop the Demoman from calling her. As the Demoman reached for the phone, it rang. Surprised by this, the Demoman answered the phone with the rest of the men staring at him in confusion.

"Hello?" the Demoman asked.

"Hello, I assume you're wondering why I have called?"

"I was aboot to call and discu-"

"Yes, yes discuss about a Christmas cease fire, I know, I've been monitoring your little meeting. A messenger has been sent to discuss this predicament among the rest of you. He should be arriving right about now."

_Knock, knock_

The Demoman hung up as the Engineer got up to answer the door. The man, who had produced the knock, was one of Helen's messenger's. He wore a long trench coat and a hat that obscured his entire body and face. His midsection was bulging as if he were hiding something, which the mercenaries all knew what it was. The messenger stepped inside as the men gathered around him, he opened up his coat, revealing a miniature television strapped to his abdomen. The TV flickered on, revealing the Administrator sitting in her usual spot in front of the control panel.

"Now, as I was saying, I believe you men were requesting a Christmas vacation?"

"Well not necessarily ma'am. Though, that would be quite nice, we were just requesting to at least have a Christmas ceasefire." The Engineer said, with his helmet held in front of him to show her some respect.

"Why should I call a cease fire? Christmas is nothing special. It's just like any other day in the year."

"Because it is un-American!" The Soldier shouted.

The Administrator's face went from that of a calm emotionless woman, to anger that was directed towards the Soldier.

"Watch you tone with me Mr. Doe! Remember what I can do to you. Remember what I can do to your precious heads."

"Not my heads!" The Soldier screamed in fear. He couldn't bear to lose his heads again after that incident. It had taken him weeks to collect new ones, which were proudly displayed on the fence outside, just like his old ones.

"Madame, excuse my colleague for 'is rude outburst, but allow me to explain our situation. We 'ave been in battle for about a year, non?"

"Correct."

"We believe zhat it is time we 'ad an extended cease fire zhat would allow us to go home and visit our family and friends."

As the words 'family' and 'friends' were said, the Administrator twitch, as she believed there was no need for such things.

"Most of our time spent fighting 'as ended in stalemates. We 'ave gotten bored of zhese draws and weapons. We need a break zhat would allow us to come back refreshed and ready for war."

Upon hearing the Spy's mention of weapons, the Administrator came up with a solution.

"Very well, I will think about your argument, but for now, good day gentlemen."

The Television flickered off and the messenger headed out the door to return from wince he came.

* * *

Two days had passed with no word from the Administrator. The day's battles had gone just like every other battle had in recent weeks, ending with a stalemate. The mercenaries trudged back into the barracks, hoping to finally hear some news from the Administrator.

"Come on! It's been two freakin days! When is she going t-"

The Scout was cut off by the sight of 9 huge crates sitting in the rec room. Each crate had a specific class symbol marked on it, symbolizing which crate went to whom. On the Spy's crate there was a note tapped to the side that no one, but himself, seemed to notice. He quickly ripped it off and began reading it.

'I have thought about your argument, albeit briefly, and have decided against it. The fight will go on as scheduled, but I have taken one thing you stated into consideration. The contents of the crates contain class specific weapons that you are to use in upcoming battles. Stalemates will no longer be an issue with these new weapons. Instructions of the weapons are enclosed in each crate.

Never contact me again about a vacation ever again, or you will face the consequences. If I decide to allow you time off then I will contact the nine of you about it.'

He knew there was no way Helen would allow them a vacation, she was to cold hearted. The rest of the men had already begun to inspect the crates contents, unaware that this was a substitute to time off.

The Spy opened the crates and was faced with three new weapons. He read the order form that was thrown carelessly in the crate. The new cloaking watch was the Dead Ringer, the revolver was the Ambassador, and the knife was named Your Eternal Reward. As he removed the Ambassador he inspected the carving that was one the side. It was that of a beautiful woman, that looked all too familiar.

"Ah, fine craftsmanship" he said.

The Spy then picked up the knife, unsure of what the difference was between it and his butterfly knife, other than the more elaborate shape and carvings. He read the instructions that were place below it, impressed with its ability to take the form of who he backstabbed, but unimpressed with the fact that he was prohibited from using his disguise kit.

"Hm, silent killing will come be useful." he said, storing the knife away in his jacket.

The new cloaking device looked entirely different from the Invisi Watch. Unsure of its use, he read the instructions that came with it.

"A watch that feigns death, huh. I believe zhis will quickly become my favorite."

He flipped open the watch, only to see a clock face that didn't tell time, but rather how much cloaking energy it currently had.

"Of course it does not tell time. None of zhese watches ev-"

"Haha Sweet!" The Scout cut him off with a shout of glee, in awe of his new scatter gun.

"I wonder what it does." the Scout said as he held his new weapon in his arms, he pointed it in the direction of the Spy.

"Boy, you better not shoot me!" The Spy yelled.

"Oh don't worry Spy, I ain't gonna sho-" \

he Scout was cut off by the blast of the gun he had just accidentally shot. Immediately the Scout realized why it was called the Force-a-Nature, as he was pushed back against the wall by the gun's powerful knock back. When The Scout realized what had just happened, he walked over to where the Spy had been standing, only to see a lifeless corpse laying on the ground.

"Ah, crap"

He had just shot the Spy, meaning he was in for a world of hurt.

Behind him he heard a loud noise that sounded like a corrupted decloaking sound. The next thing he knew, he had the Spy's brand new knife around his neck. Tensing up, the Spy thought he was about to have his throat slit.

"How the hell did you do that?!" the Scout screamed.

He was presented with the newly acquired Dead Ringer in front of his face with the Spy saying, "Don't you dare do zhat again or I will gut you like a Cornish game hen!"

The Spy let go of the Scout and put his new weapons away. The rest of the men were staring at the Scout and Spy, not believing what they had just witnessed.

"I gotta say Spook, that there is one useful watch." the Engineer said as he was carrying his new sentry controlling Wrangler.

"Oui."

Looking around the room, he saw his colleagues smiling at their new weapons, ignorant of the news the note had brought.

The Medic was grinning at his new medi gun, the Kritzkrieg and his new bone saw, the Amputator.

"Zhis vill come in handy vith operations…and in battle" he said, analyzing his new gear.

The Demoman was marveling at his new sticky bomb launcher that had the ability to lay out 16 stickies on the battlefield at one time.

"Ay who gives a crepe aboot a 1 second delay?! The more explosives the more KABOOM!" he said as he threw his arms in the air, simulating an explosion.

The Sniper had pulled out a bow and arrow, not acting quite as excited as everyone else had.

"Crikey! Why do I get a down grade?! Why don't I get a sniper rifle?!" he cried out, frustrated at his new weapon.

The Sniper read the Huntsman's instructions that stated it was to be used for medium ranged combat, allowing him to somewhat get into the front lines.

"I guess it isn't too bad." He said as he pulled back the string. "Moight be useful in certain situations. It's got a nice pull to it."

The Pyro, for once, showed some emotion when he pulled out his new flamethrower, the Backburner. It was ecstatic at the fact that that if it managed to get behind an enemy, it would do major damage. It laughed gleefully and clapped his hands at the sight of its new toy.

The only one who wasn't excited was the Soldier, who had been giving the Beggars Bazooka.

"What in America's sweet name is this crap?! This is garbage! It only holds three rockets before it starts to explode in my face?! I want a new weapon!"

Seeing as how his colleagues had finished marveling at their new weapons, he figured he might as well tell them about the note now and break up their excitement.

"Gentlemen. You do realize why we have been given these weapons, non?"

Everyone shook their heads in disagreement. Sighing from their ignorance, the Spy handed the Engineer the note, which caused the rest of them to crowd around him.

"What in tarnation! This is just a replacement for a break?!"

"Oui, unfortunately. It seems as though we might never be awarded with a proper vacation."

* * *

"After that winter, we never asked the Administrator for any kind of vacation ever again, fearing that she would do the worst. Every Christmas after that, we would be given new weapons as a sort of compensation for no vacation time. Honestly I think it's illegal to not allow off days like that."

"Yes, Yes I already know zhat Dell, What does zhis have to do with how you came across zhis...disturbing information."

"I told you not to call me Dell!" He screamed back at the Spy.

"Why not?" May chimed in.

"Well we aren't allowed to call each other by our real names. We are told to call each other by our assigned class because the Administrator doesn't permit friendship between us, but a few of us have managed to get around it."

"Oh trust me I know. I have read the comics." May said.

"Zhere are comics to?!" The Spy said in astonishment.

"Uh yeah. There's also merchandise which I actually have a ton of like posters, action figures, plushies and those statues that cost around 200 dollars..."

"Well, zhis is surprising."

"Well not really. I mean you guys are part of a popular game, so merchandise is common."

"She does have a point." The Engineer said.

"Anyways, um, is it OK if I know everyone's names before we continue with the story?" she asked.

"I don't see any harm in it, so might as well."

"Actually do you mind if I take a crack at it?" May asked enthusiastically. She was about to find out everyone's names and see if they were the same as in the game, even if they were rumors.

"Sure go ahead." The Engineer said. The Spy on the other hand rolled his eyes, seeing as how he thought this was unnecessary, as he wanted to get on with the Engineer's explanation.

"Ok, I already know your name," she pointed at the Engineer," yours I assume you won't tell me or anyone." she pointed at the Spy.

"Oui, you are correct." he replied.

"Ok the Demoman is Tavish Degroot, the Soldier is Jane Doe, and the Sniper is Lawrence Mundy. From then on I don't know last names. How am I doing?"

"Perfect so far."

"Sweet OK, the Scout is Nathan, the Heavy is Ivan, the Medic is Joseph, and the Pyro I have absolutely no idea."

"Yup, absolutely correct, May." The Engineer said.

"Haha sweet! Half of those were actually rumored names. See the only names that Valve have released are yours," she pointed again at the Engineer," the Demoman's, the Soldier's, the Sniper's last name, and the Heavy's, but that was considered non-can- I'm rambling sorry." She said as she smiled and apologetic smile.

"Non, you are fine, but I would like zhe Engineer to continue as to 'ow he had found zhis out, but if I may ask, what is zhis Valve you speak of?"

"It's the game company that created Team Fortress 2. They have created a few other games such as Portal, Half-Life, and Left4Dead. I'll explain those to you later if you guys are interested. They might have a connection with this world."

"Oui, thank you for zhat information, but for now I would like zhe Engineer to continue on."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." May said.

"No worries May, I'll just continue on with the story."

"Ok." She said as she smiled.

"This all happened last year around Christmas time, once again."

* * *

They didn't care that they had lost today's battle. All that mattered was that it was their last one for a week. The Administrator had finally been kind enough to give them a week of well-deserved Christmas vacation. Everyone was looking forward to finally getting to go home and be with their family for the holidays, but their hopes were shattered when they saw one of the Administrator's messengers standing in the middle of the rec room, waiting for them. They knew that the only time the Administrator sent a messenger without warning, it was because they were in a whole lot of trouble. The messenger opened his trench coat to reveal a television screen with a scowling Administrator.

"Gentlemen that was an utterly despicable display!" she hissed.

"With all due respect ma'am, we have been fighting for 5 years straight. I think it would be acceptable that our performance would be falling a little bit." The Engineer said.

"That was not a little! It took the BLU's less than 3 minutes to capture our intelligence 3 times! They accomplished a flawless victory! All you did was die, constantly! None of you even managed to kill a single BLU!" The Administrator was livid at the failure the RED's had accomplished today.

"We're sorry ma'am, but once we return from our Christmas vacation we will be well rested and ready to fight for another year." the Engineer stated.

"Ah yes about your vacation. Because of your complete failure to battle correctly today, I have decided to cancel you planned vacation. Tomor-" she was interrupted by the angry out cries of the mercenaries, "Gentlemen! Do not tempt me any further. I believe this is an adequate punishment for such a pathetic failure and I believe you men would not like any other repercussions correct?" the mercenaries stood there in silence, taking the verbal abuse being given by their boss. "I think we have reached an understanding. Good day gentlemen."

The television turned to static, the messenger closed his coat and walked out of the room. Immediately the mercenaries began to voice their opinions on the Administrator's selected form of punishment.

"Nu uh, there's no way she just did that! She can't! I had plans to go see my ma back home! I haven't seen anyone but you chuckleheads in 5 years and I'm sick of it!" The Scout said, with anger in his voice.

"I promised my mum I would finally come and visit her and dad back in Australia. I was hoping to finally convince my dad that I'm not a crazed gunman!"

7 of the men were angrily rambling about what the Administrator had decided to do as a punishment. The Pyro and the Engineer were the only ones not shouting and voicing their opinions. While the Pyro was nowhere to be found, the Engineer just stood there with his head hanging low out of disappointment. The expression on his face was that of sadness. He had been looking forward to this for so long. Irene, he was finally going to be able to hold his sweet Irene close again after 5 years. Sure he had been able to contact her through letters and the occasional phone call, but it was nowhere close to being with her. She had missed him as much as he missed her.

Depressed, the Engineer walked out of the rec room with his head still hanging low. He headed for his workshop, not wanting to be around his team mates. The workshop was dark and depressing, not helping the Engineer's mood in the slightest. He went over to his desk which sat in the corner and laid his head down, suppressing his tears. His hand headed for a drawer, slowly pulling it open to reveal a slightly worn picture of two people, causing him to smile slightly.

The two people were standing in front of a fence that seemed to be the barrier of a ranch as there were animals shown in the background. The woman on the left was slightly stocky with pale skin and short blonde hair that was in the style of a bob. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, which to the Engineer was one of her best qualities. He could stare at them for hours at a time, with nothing that could distract him.

The man on the right was holding an arm around the woman, looking quite happy. He was bright eyed and young, ready to face the world. Oh how he had aged in the few years for working with the RED's. The young man in the photo no longer existed. Instead this tired old 38 year old man took his place.

Though he wasn't showing it, the Engineer was filled with anger and rage. He was denied his chance to see his beloved wife after 5 years because of some cranky, old hag who cared for no one. The man couldn't stand it anymore, he had to be with his wife...but how?

There was no way he could visit her during the weekend cease fires, as there was not enough time, and they were only allowed to visit the nearby town, but that was the only opportunity he would ever have. There must be some way he could travel to Bee Cave and back fast enough, without leaving the premise. The only way that ever would have been possible would be by teleportation. That's it! He would build a teleporter that was strong enough that would be able to teleport him home but...he couldn't go home to place the exit. Maybe he would be able to generate enough energy, so he could teleport himself there without a receiver. It would be risky but this crazy man in love was willing to try.

Two weeks later he finally got his machine up and running. Surprisingly, it didn't take anywhere near as long he originally thought it to be. He planned for the project to last 3 months, which considering how early he had finished it, worried him. There were bound to be bugs in the hardware and programming, but the man was desperate. He had missed Christmas, but showing up on her doorstep would be the best gift she could ever ask for. Booting up the machine and setting the coordinates, he envisioned the smile that would spread across her face as she saw him.

The machine was ready to go, and he would soon be reunited with his sweet Irene. The Engineer stepped inside with his materials that he would use to build a connecting teleporter on the other side. The doors shut and he stood there, waiting for the teleportation.

"I'm coming Irene." he quietly said.

Instantly he vanished, teleported to his home town of Bee Cave, Texas, but not the Bee Cave he knew.

* * *

F**un Fact: **

**The title of this chapter is kind of a reference to ChaosandMayhem's story "I'll Be Home For the Holiday's" which is a great story that you should go check out. Only downside is that it's still in progress.**


	8. Chapter 8

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: OK ,this chapter is a complete mess. Trying to describe something from the eyes of a man from the 60's is tough. Not real happy with this chapter but oh well. I think this chapter probably contains a bunch of lot holes to so...**

**IMPORTANT: I start using 'Dell' as a way to refer to the Engineer so there's more variety the 'the engineer' and 'he.' I'm only going to use it for certain situations though, like when Irene is mentioned and a few others. Other mercenaries may be referred to by their name later to.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Truth **

* * *

A bright light disturbed the peaceful town of Bee Cave. It seemed to appear out of nowhere, but no one seemed to notice. When the light faded, a man appeared on the top of a building that took residence on the main street of shops. For a split second he stood, but as soon as the light disappeared completely, he fell to the concrete rooftop below.

The Engineer was unconscious for about 10 until he finally awoke, rubbing his head in confusion as to what had just happened.

"What in sam hill just happened? That was the most intense teleportation I have ever experienced. Ten times worse than the normal..." he muttered, as he stood up to take a look around.

"Ah it's good to be back in good old Bee...Cave?"

The scene before him was unfamiliar. This wasn't the Bee Cave he grew up in, it was completely different.

"The town couldn't have changed this much in only 5 years. What in tarnation is going on?"

Instead of the old farms scattered throughout the town, there were more modernized buildings that housed shop's and restaurants There were more people walking in the streets then there had been living there before. The larger population and buildings wasn't the Bee Cave he knew.

His Bee Cave was a very small town with only a population of 126. Everyone knew each other. No one was a stranger. There was only 5 shops in his Bee Cave, of which were the necessary shops such as the grocers and hardware store. Everyone lived on their own farms, and no one had any need to go else where for food and supplies. The people traded with each other for any items they didn't grow or were missing. Everyone lived a happy, quiet life, but now Bee Cave was no longer that.

As Dell looked around he saw several stores that he had never seen before, and none of the stores he was familiar with were there. Everything was new and different, especially the cars that populated the streets. Those were probably the most noticeable difference other than the buildings.

Sure they had cars in the Bee Cave he remembered, but these cars were entirely different. These were slicker and newer looking. They looked completely different from any car he had ever seen.

"What the hell is going on? This is not Bee Cave." he said in disbelief.

If this wasn't Bee Cave then where was he? Where did the teleporter transport him to? He needed to find out so he went towards the door that held the staircase and walked down to the ground floor. Dell stepped out of the building he had arrived on and saw how different this town really was from good old Bee Cave. He looked around in amazement and disbelief as cars whizzed by him.

A woman in drastically different clothes was walking towards him. She wore something he had never seen before, something not entirly normal for his time periods standards. The Engineer needed to find out where he was so he decided to ask the woman.

"Excuse me ma'am!" he called.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind telling me where we are?"

"We're in Bee Cave, of course. Do you need to know what state to?" she laughed.

At the sound of the words 'Bee Cave' escaped her mouth, the Engineer's heart sank. It couldn't have been Bee Cave, it was to different. There was no way this was the one he knew, unless...

"No ma'am but what year is it?"

She laughed, "What kind of a question is that? Why it's 2012, you silly man." the woman, still laughing at the odd questions this man had just asked, walked off and continued with her day.

'2012?!' the Engineer thought, 'How the hell did my machine manage to time travel?! It's impossible! Something must be wrong. I couldn't have traveled into the future. Sure this place is different but not in the way that it should be 40 years into the future. Could it be that this is in another dimension? That's crazy but...it's worth a shot. Let's see if anyone knows of the war.'

Just then he realized that even if it was the future, he wouldn't be with his sweet Irene. She was gone from this place. No matter time or dimension, he wouldn't be able to achieve his goal to see her.

The Engineer explored the town some more. He certainly was a strange sight to the people who saw him. The Engineer still wore his normal work clothes with his hard hat and goggles that obscured the top half of his were seen that he could never imagine in good old Bee Cave, like a store that catered to young teens and, of all things, an electronic store.

'I should go into that electronic store and see if anyone knows of cloaking devices and telelporters. If they don't then that's one check on the Alternate dimension theory.'

He entered the store and saw technology, of which, boggled his mind. These devices were far more advanced than the stuff back home. He saw several different kinds of these small box shaped items which had a screen that took up almost the entire thing. The lack of buttons confused the Engineer, as he tried to figure out how it operated. There was to much new technology that the Engineer couldn't handle seeing all at once. Despite his predicament, he couldn't help but be excited about all the new gadgets that had been made in this world. A part of him wanted to get his hands on everything here, in order to take it apart and tinker with it to see how it all worked, but he had more important matters to attend to.

The Engineer walked up to the counter where a young man around his early 20's was working, with his back turned to the Engineer.

"Excuse me? Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

The young man turned around, "Sure. Are you looking for something in partic- Whoa, nice costume man!"

Confused, the Engineer replied, "What?"

"You know your sweet Engineer costume!"

"My what? Son you aren't making any sense." he was confused to no end as to what was going on.

"Oh man you sound just like him to! This is awesome! Do you mind if I get a picture?" the young man ducked down behind the counter to reach for something.

His patience having run out, the Engineer said, "Now son I have no idea what you talking about. I was just here to ask you some questions about a cloaking device."

"Wow your really into character." he said as he came up from behind the counter with a strange small black rectangular thing that the Engineer didn't recognize.

"What is that thing?" he asked, pointing at the strange thing in the mans hand.

"This? It's just a phone, why?"

The Engineer couldn't believe that was a phone. The phones he knew of that were portable were huge and blocky. He couldn't believe that small, fragile looking thing was a phone. Knowing it would look strange, he didn't bother expressing his disbelief to the young man.

"Oh right, sorry."

"Nah man it's ok. Now about that picture..."

Regretfully, the Engineer allowed the man to take a photo with him, while still confused of the situation.

"Now son could you explain what's going on? Er, why do you think my costume is so good?"

"Well, your the spitting image of the Team Fortress Engineer of course!"

Good he just obtained some useful information. Now he would just have to find out what this 'Team Fortress' was.

"Right...yeah I am. Hey thanks for your help." he turned and started to leave.

"Hey don't you want to buy anything?" the young man asked.

"No thanks. You don't have what I was looking for anyway."

The Engineer walked out of the store, not quite accomplishing the goal he set when he entered the store, but accomplished another kind of goal when he left. He was known from somewhere, what he didn't know but, he would find out. The library could help him research this 'Team Fortress' the young man had spoke of. Surely the library hadn't changed as much.

He wandered around the streets of the strange town he had once called home. He felt lost and lonely in this Bee Cave, not knowing anyone here and especially knowing his Irene was nowhere in this city. Everything was so foreign to him. This place didn't feel like home in the slightest.

Eventually, the Engineer came across the Bee Cave Library near the edge of town. The building he entered didn't seem as alien as the other parts of town. It still looked like a normal library to him, except with the additions of a few unknown gadgets. There were rows of these black boxes that the Engineer could only guess was an advanced form of a computer. They were much smaller than the ones he had been accustomed with, but he figured they must be computers with the way their screen looked. It looked similar to the computers he knew, except they were flat and skinny.

For a few hours, the Engineer searched bookshelf after bookshelf for anything that had the words 'Team' or 'Fortress in it. The stuff he came across didn't mention anything about what he knew. Nothing about the Gravel Wars, BLU, RED, Kickasso, or even Shakespearicles. The closest thing he had found to anything was this famous painter named Picasso, whom from the paintings he saw, was a pretty bad painter, and a famous writer named Shakespeare that did nothing but write boring plays and books. Shakespeare did nothing inventive like Shakespearicles had by inventing the rocket launcher and America.

Tired, the Engineer was about to give up and find a place to stay for the night. He was lost in his own hometown with no one to turn to. Everyone he knew was gone, even his fellow mercenaries that he had become tired of, he desperately wished to see. As Dell was about to walk out, he realized something. Maybe those strange computers held any information that was of use to him.

He walked up to the row of computers, confused as to how they worked. They definitely weren't as big as the computers he was use to but he was an Engineer so he would be able to figure it out...eventually.

The entire set up of the screen was foreign to the Engineer. At least he recognized the keyboard and mouse, but was unsure if they worked relatively the same. He sat there for a while, fiddling with the computer trying to figure out how to work it. Eventually he decided to cut his loses and ask someone for help. Being an Engineer, it was quite embarrassing for him to not be able to work a piece of technology but this computer was so different from the ones he knew. Dell looked around for anyone that could assist him in working this computer. There was a librarian that was putting away books at a nearby bookshelf that he figured was probably the best person to ask.

"Excuse me ma'am?" he called.

"Yes?"

"I need help with this here computer. Would you mind helping me?"

"Sure, what do you need help with?"

"I was trying to find out about something called 'Team Fortress,' but I couldn't seem to find anything about it in any books."

"Why don't you just Google it?" the librarian said.

"What the hell is a Google? Pardon my language, I'm just frustrated."

The librarian had a look of confusion on her face. He couldn't look like a complete idiot, so he decided to come up with a lie.

"Well ma'am, I grew up in the country where we have no luxuries such as computers, so I am unfamiliar with how these work. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like some help."

"No problem." she replied.

The librarian walked over to the Engineer, who allowed her to sit down in his seat.

"Now then, you see this icon over here?" she placed the pointer over a blue E icon.

"Yes ma'am."

"Ok, that's the internet. You can use it to search for information that might not be in books. Anything information you can imagine is on the internet."

"Ok." though he didn't show it, he was quite amazed at what this internet could do. Being able to access all information at anytime in the world was amazing. Anytime he had wanted to know something, he would have to track down a book that contained the subject he wanted to know.

The librarian clicked on the icon and a blank screen popped up that soon had a logo that said 'GOOGLE' on it with a white bar below it.

"Now what was it that you were wanting to search."

"Um Team Fortress, ma'am."

She clicked on the bar and began typing in 'Team Fortress' with the keyboard. Slowly, the Engineer was learning how to work this computer. He seemed to figure out the basics just by watching this lady work the computer. He was a fast learner after all. When she hit enter on the keyboard the screen changed to that of a page with a lot more words on it and incomplete sentences.

"Ok these are your results from the search. Any phrase thats underlined and blue is a link that will take you to a different website. If you want to return to the previous page click here." she moved the pointer to an arrow that was facing left on the screen.

"Much obliged ma'am. I think I've got it from here. Thank you for your help."

"My pleasure."

The librarian walked away to continue her duty of putting books back in their proper place, while the Engineer stared at the screen, unsure of what to do first. Eventually he figured that he might as well just click on the first link, since below it, the, what he assumed was, website's name was Team Fortress. He clicked on it and got the surprise of his life.

When the page loaded, he respond in shock. On the top was every one of the mercenaries including himself. They were the spitting image of all 9 of them if they had been made into a cartoon. They wore the exact same clothes and someone them even held one of their significant weapons. He went over to the cartoon of himself and clicked on it, hoping for it to bring him somewhere that would explain this whole mess. As he clicked the picture, the screen changed and he was shown a short profile of himself as well as the weapons he used in battles. The Engineer wanted to voice his opinion out loud, but realized that it would draw attention, so instead he just thought to himself.

'What the hell is this?! Why are we cartoon characters and why does this thing know about me and what I use?!"

He was frustrated, shocked and confused. They were part of something, but what he didn't know. Dell looked around on the page, hoping to find something that would explain this whole thing. The word 'Movies' caught his attention, so he clicked on it hoping for an explanation. While it loaded he thought, 'Are we part of some movie?'

The page that loaded had pictures of all 9 of them under the title of 'Meet the Team'.

"What the hell is this?" he muttered to himself.

The Engineer found the one of himself and clicked on it. The link seemed to bring him to an entirely new site called 'Youtube.' As surprised as he had been, the Engineer became even more when a video started playing.

The video was of him describing what he did while strumming one of his favorite songs, "Someone Else's Song" as his sentries shot the opposing attacker. He remembered this moment. It was when that strange director was going around filming everyone. He remembered that after everyone had been filmed they were contacted by the Administrator and told that the films were to be used as blackmail. If it was to be used as blackmail then why was if where anyone could see it?

He finished watching the video and saw that at the end it was really an advertisement for something called a video game. He wasn't sure what to do next but he saw another white bar on top of the page and figured it had the same function as the other one. He typed in 'Team Fortress' once again and waited until he got the results. The first few links seemed to be the rest of the 'Meet the Team' videos but as he looked further, he saw some videos that seemed to have some different content.

He spotted a video titled 'Team Fortress 2 Review' and figured that a review of whatever this was would help him.

The video showed footage of this video game that they were a part of. From what he could gather, Dell figured that people could control any 9 of them through this game at anytime. Apparently they used a keyboard and mouse to control them with specific buttons mapped to certain actions such as aiming and moving. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was amazing, albeit a bit disturbing, but he never would have imagined this in a million years. It was like they could control and steer the direction of a movie.

The review helped him understand the situation that he was in, but it also destroyed his sanity. Were they nothing more than fictional characters? No they couldn't be, they were real people, but none of this made any sense. Everything he had discovered today contradicted with what he had always known. If they were fictional characters then how could they exist? How could he be standing here right now?

The baffled Engineer didn't have the courage to research more Team Fortress. He feared that if he learned anymore, his sanity would be completely gone. A majority of his logic had been thrown out the window by this discovery alone.

Dell decided that he needed to find a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately he didn't have any money with him, so a hotel was out of the question. His best bet was to find an abandoned building to stay in. Eventually he would have to find a place to build the teleporter and some materials to build it with. For now though, his priority was to find a place to sleep.

Dell exited the library and searched for any building that showed no signs of life. For a while he looked around the town searching and observing the alternate Bee Cave. He walked the streets with his only company being his own thoughts.

'God there's so many questions that arise from this damn ridiculous reality. I don't understand how the hell we're fictional characters!'

He was frustrated, tired, confused and depressed. So many questions were running through his mind. Questions that had no answer. The only possible answers he could think up were assumptions and theories.

'How does Team Fortress correlate to our world? How does it correlate to our lives?'

The Engineer couldn't think anymore. His brain had been fried by the mind blowing discoveries he had made in the past few hours. Thinking more on this would destroy him.

Dell eventually found a place to stay. It seemed to be a factory that had been abandoned for quite some time. He figured it was as good as any other place to sleep for the night. Rummaging through the office, he managed to find an old moth eaten blanket that would have to do. The adequate space provided more than enough room to build a returning teleporter, so he decided that he would get to work on it first thing in the morning.

For now, he needed to get some well needed rest. Dell curled up in the spotted old blanket and thought of only Irene. His attempts to see her failed and ended him up in this mess. He was revealed the truth of his life, but it wasn't a truth he wanted to know.

"Goodnight Irene...where ever you are..." he muttered under his breath as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"The next morning I immediately started to work on the teleporter and as you know," he gestured towards May," I got it working and withing a week I returned back to Teufort."

"I remember zhat week." the spy said. "You said zhat Redmond called you to 'elp him on some machine and 'ad to leave without notifying any of us. Because of you we lost terribly zhat entire week!"

He was starting to become angry because of the punishment they had received because of him.

"I know and I apologize for lying, but I had to. I couldn't tell anyone the truth because of the sheer unbelievability of it. Think about it, Spook. Would you have believed me if I told you that we were fictional characters? Just mere avatars to people."

The Spy started to calm down, realizing that the Engineer was right.

"Non..."

"See? I had to. Keeping the truth was for the best everyone."

"Oui, but zhis is still unbelievable. Also 'ow did you manage to explain your week of absence to zhe Administrator?"

"It was difficult, but I managed to convince her that I had contracted a bed crippling sickness that was to much to report for work. It took a lot of acting but I think I managed to convince her."

"But we 'ad reported you missing when you didn't show up for battle zhe first day you were gone." the Spy replied.

"You did? Well now that is strange. The Administrator would never leave a mystery unsolved..."

The Engineer pondered on why the Administrator would accept his ridiculous lie.

"Do you think she knows?" May asked.

"I see zhat as a possibility." he turned towards the Engineer. "Are you zhe only one who can build zhis teleporter?"

"As far as I know yes."

"And are you sure no one else has used it?"

"Yes. The machine records every teleportation. I would have seen it in the records."

"Zhis is quite a mystery...You said zhat zhere were videos of us, correct?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I would like to see zhese video's if you don't mind."

"Well your out of luck Spook because the only way we could do that is if we go back to May's world."

"Actually you don't have to." May said. "I've got them saved on my phone if you would like to see them...wait where's my bag?"

She looked around the room and saw it sitting on one of the Engineer's workbenches, with its contents scattered across the table.

"Uh, please tell me you didn't dismantle them!" she said in fear.

"No, I wouldn't do that unless you were a threat or gave me permission. I just wanted to analyze some of the gadgets of your world. I might visit it but I'm still quite unfamiliar with most of it."

"Ok good...if there's one thing you should know it's that you don't mess with me and my stuff. If you break or lose something of mine I will go berserk. Am I clear about that?" she said with an crazed look on her face.

The two men knew that she was serious and now knew never to mess with her stuff.

"Understood" they said in unison.

"That electronics shop you mentioned, I don't remember seeing it when I was exploring Bee Cave."

"Oh it seemed to have gone out of business shortly after I returned the next time. I'm guessing that it didn't do well in old Bee Cave. At least the people's mindsets there were similar."

"Yeah, makes sense." she said.

The three of them heard the Engineer's clock chime, reminding them of how late it really was. The Engineer wasn't lying when he said it would take a while.

"I reckon we should hit the hay."

"Agreed, but where will zhe madmosielle sleep?" the Spy asked.

"I'm good to sleep anywhere, even the floor as long as I have a blanket and a pillow." May said with a smile.

"Well I can clear a workbench and line it with blankets to make it a bit softer." the Engineer said.

"Ok, I'm fine with that."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Engineer got the "bed" made up for May.

"There you go." he said with a smile.

"Thanks," she smiled at him,"Oh and thank you for not shooting me earlier. You wouldn't believe how much that freaked me out."

"Ah, I guess I should apologize for that. I was freaking out as well and as an impulse and precaution I pulled out my pistol."

"Don't worry I understand."

The Spy hadn't left just yet, as he was standing in the corner finishing his cigarette.

"I must say it has been a pleasure meeting you madmosielle. I will see you tomorrow. Bonne Nuit, May."

"Good night Spy. Hey wait." she said, causing him to stop and turn towards May.

"Oui?"

"Will I be able to meet everyone else tommorow?" she eagerly said with a smile.

Though the question was directed at the two of them, the Engineer answered.

"I reckon there's no point in keeping you a secret. My only worry is the Administrator."

"Oh right, her..." the smile faded from her face.

"Don't worry we will 'ave zhis sorted out tommorow. For now let's just get some rest. I will be returning to my room for zhe night, Au revoir." the Spy said.

He left the workshop as the Engineer headed to his room that connected to the workshop.

"If you need anything just knock. Have a goodnight."

"Thanks, You too." she replied.

The Engineer stepped into his room and disappeared for the night. May still couldn't believe what was going on but figured she wouldn't get anymore answers until morning came around. She crawled into the makeshift bed and quickly realized how tired she really was. In combination of the car ride she took earlier this morning and this whole fiasco, she was completely drained emotionally. To many thoughts were buzzing in her head as she tried to sleep.

'This is to surreal. I can't believe this is actually happening. Being in this world is like a dream come true, but how will I explain this to my parents. I'll be missing for over a week. I need to come up with a solution, but for now thats not important. I just need to get too bed.'

Eventually May fell asleep, eager to wake up and meet the rest of the team.

* * *

**Yes I know the song "Someone Else's Song' was written in the 90's but for the sake of 'continuity' it was now made in the 60's.**

**Fun Fact: For those of you who don't know the Engineer had a quote where he says 'Goodnight Irene...' which is actually a reference to a song but it seems people like to use it as a name for the Engineer's wife and I can see why. it does fit quite well.**


	9. Chapter 9

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A'N: Good lord these chapters keep getting longer and longer. This is actually my favorite chapter so far. I enjoyed writting it and the situations that happen. **

**I am terribly sorry for the Sniper's inconsistent and almost non-exsisting accent. I'm not good at writing an Australian accent.**

**Anways, Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Meet the Team**

* * *

It was a peaceful morning in Teufort. The sun had just risen and the few birds that populated the desert were singing.

"Wake up maggots!" The Soldier yelled through the barracks, breaking the peaceful silence like he always did.

Every morning the Soldier did this, much the annoyance of his team mates. He did his routine wakeup call every morning, even on the weekends, making sure that no one got to sleep in like a sissy.

Jane Doe was going around to every door that wasn't locked, like the Spy's, forcefully opening them and yelling at the inhabitants of the rooms. Any door that was locked was pounded brutally, in order to wake whoever was in there.

"Wake up, maggots! Rise and shine, cupcakes!"

May woke up well before the Soldier had even made it to the side of the hall the workshop was located on.

"Ugh. He's just as loud and annoying as he is in the game..." she said, pushing the sides of the pillow onto her ears.

She heard him slamming the doors open and realized that the Engineer never locked the workshop's door. The Soldier was getting closer and was bound to open the door and get the surprise of his life, when he saw a girl sleeping on one of the Engineer's workbenches.

The next thing she knew, the workshop's door flew open, revealing the Soldier who had the same annoyed look on his face as he always had.

"Wake up grease monk- what the? Who the hell are you?!" he yelled at her as his face turned to that of confusion and shock.

"I uh, um I-" she was cut off by the Engineer bursting out of his room in a hurry, no doubt to try and explain what was going on to the Soldier.

"Engineer, what the hell is going on?!" the Soldier yelled.

"Call a meeting with everyone else and I'll explain." the Engineer said.

"No! I want an explanation now, maggot!"

"You will get your explanation at the meeting!" the Engineer yelled

May would have never imagined seeing the Engineer so furious. He always seemed like the nicest one out of the 9 mercenaries. Just a humble man from a humble town, though May always knew there was a dark side to him. The Engineer's rage silenced the Soldier by surprise. May figured that he didn't normally act this way and was shocked to see the Engineer this angry.

"Tell everyone to meet in the rec room in 5 minutes. You'll get your explanation then." Dell said, demanding the Soldier to follow his orders.

"...sir, yes, sir." the Soldier replied, with an astonished tone.

He walked out of the room and began gathering the others.

"I-I never would have thought that you would ever get that angry." May said, hopping off the table.

"Well it's been a rough night and the Soldier wasn't on my list of people that I wanted to hear or see this morning. I guess coming up with a plan to introduce you to the team calmly isn't going to happen. With everything that had happened last night, I had forgotten to lock the door. Sorry about the Soldier's intrusion."

"It's fine. Besides I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone. Seriously this is like meeting a celebrity for me." she said gleefully.

"Alright, alright. Get ready, we'll head out in a minute."

"Ok."

The Engineer headed back into his room, presumably to get dressed. May hadn't even realized until now that he was still dressed in his night clothes when he had barged out of his room.

She sat there waiting, seeing as how the clothes on her back were the only ones she had with her. As May sat there waiting, she heard a faint sound that came from the opposite side of the room. It was the Spy uncloaking himself.

"How is zhe mademoiselle zhis morning?"

"I'm fine, thank you Spy. Guess you heard the Soldier, huh?"

"Oui, I was here before zhat imbecile came in."

"But, I didn't hear you come in." she said.

"I am a Spy, remember?"

"Right..."

The Engineer came out of his room dressed in his normal attire, not even bothering to acknowledge the Spy.

"You ready?" he asked May.

"Yup!" she replied with excitement.

The three of them exited the workshop and made their way down the hall to a group of confused mercenaries.

* * *

"Soldier, vhy on earth are ve here?" the Medic asked.

"I told you fritz, the Engineer told me to gather everyone here! He is going to explain why there is a girl here!"

"Vhat? A girl? Are you sure you're not drunk, Herr Soldier?"

"Of course maggot! I know what I saw in that workshop and it was a girl!"

At that moment, the Engineer and Spy walked in with the same girl the Soldier had seen in the workshop.

"Wot the bloody hell?!" the Sniper said in shock.

May was so excited as to who she was looking at. She was staring at the remaining classes that she had yet to meet. It took a lot of will power, but she held in a scream of excitement.

"What the hell is this crap?!" the Scout yelled in confusion.

"Hey, I'm not crap, Scout!"

"How does she know who I am?!"

"That's what I'm here to explain." the Engineer said.

"You better have a damn good explanation, maggot!" yelled the Soldier.

* * *

The Engineer recapped the entire story for a second time. The men who were oblivious to the truth sat there in awe. Eventually he finished retelling his story, which caused everyone to burst out asking questions.

"How the bloody hell are we fictional characters?!"

"Ye got to be jokin!"

"I'm a popular character?! Haha sweet! How popular am I?"

"Speak the truth Maggot!"

"Da! Little man is right!"

"Zhis is insane! Vhat is going on!"

The room was filled with the rambles of 6 mercenaries. The Pyro, as usual, just stood there, not saying a word.

"Enough!" yelled the Engineer.

The men were silenced immediately by the Engineer's threatening and demanding tone.

"Now...why don't you ask May some questions. I'm sure she can answer them better than I can."

"Alright, alright I got one. How freaking popular am I?!" the Scout asked with a cocky smile.

"Well, uh, you're all pretty popular. Every fan has their favorite character, but the Heavy is considered the face of Team Fortress."

"Aw what?! No freakin way! This face is the best looking, not that ugly mug!" he said, pointing at the Heavy.

"I do not know if I should take as compliment or insult." the Heavy said to her in confusion.

"More as a compliment. It means people like you." May responded.

"Ok I got a question. How close are these characters to us?" the Sniper asked.

"Ja." the Medic agreed.

She had forgotten she was in the same room as the Sniper and the Medic. They were two of her favorite characters in any video game, book, or even TV show. It took a lot of willpower to hold in a huge smile that was eagerly to come out and show it's.

"Well as far as I know they're almost identical. A few details such as the Engineer having a wife, and a few of your names are missing, but they're really close. Actually I have those 'Meet the Team' videos if you all would like to see them." May said.

"Yeah! Let's see how awesomely they captured me!" the Scout said.

"It'll be on a small screen but...hey Engie!" May called.

"Yes?"

"I know you're unfamiliar with this technology," she pulled out her phone from her bag, "but do you think you could build something that would project the screen onto the TV?"

"I'm sure I can. It just might take a while seeing as how I don't know how it works."

"That's fine. I can take time to get familiar with everyone." she said, eyeing the Medic and Sniper while handing the phone to the Engineer. "Just don't dismantle it."

"Alright, I'll do my best. Guess we're done here. Everyone's dismissed." The Engineer said.

The group began to disperse back to their rooms, even though they all still had questions.

"Hey Engie, is there anything in particular you want me to call you?" May asked the Engineer.

"Not particularly, why?"

"I just want to make sure I don't call you the wrong thing?"

"Well anything except Mr. Conagher would do. That was my father."

"Alright, I know. Hey I'm going to go talk with the Medic and Sniper."

"Any particular reason why those two?" asked the Engineer.

"Well they are my favorite characters in Team Fortress, not to offend you or anything, but..."

"Don't worry I'm not offended. I'm going to be in my workshop if you need me."

"Ok, see you later."

* * *

For a few minutes, May wandered around the living quarters of the mercenaries. This certainly wasn't mentioned or shown in the game, but she figured they must've had to stay somewhere considering it's not like they could fly back to their home every day.

Soon, she discovered the medical bay that was on the opposite end of where the workshop was. She walked inside and searched for the Medic himself, but figured that he must have been out still. The room was filled with medical equipment of all kind, most of which was sterile except for a bin near the operating table that was full of blood stained scalpels, that must have been used fairly recently. The setup of the room looked similar to the one in the Meet the Medic video, except for the shape and size of the room. Instead of double doors that swung open into a waiting room, there was only a normal door with a small window that looked like all the rest, except with a sign that read 'Medical Bay' and had the Medic's symbol below it. In fact a majority of the doors had class symbols on it. May assumed this was to differentiate everyone's room from one another.

The size of the room was significantly smaller and there weren't any windows. Like the other rooms. It was square in shape and of a fairly decent size. She saw two other doors, which she assumed, led to a restroom and the Medic's room. On the back wall was a fridge that seemed to catch May's eye.

'I wonder if the contents are the same….' She thought.

She walked over to the fridge and placed her hand on the handle, curious to know its contents

"Vhat are you doing?" said a voice from behind her.

May jumped a little, but said, "Uh, I was just curious, that's all."

"Vell you don't vant to know vhat is in zhere."

"Is it a spy head and some hearts?" May said confidently.

"Ne- Vait how did you know zhat?" he asked in confusion.

"Remember, I am a fan of the game you guys are all a part of. I know a lot of miscellaneous information such as that and it seems that a lot of it correlates to this world."

"Right...Anyvay vhat do you vant?" he asked, annoyed.

"I was just wanting to hang out and stuff." She said shy fully.

"Vell I am a busy man. I have no time for your childish vays." He said stiffly.

"Well...I can answer any question about my world that you want to know. I know everything you need to know about Team Fortress. Besides, I'm more mature than most people I know." She said with a grin.

He stood there in silence for a few seconds, pondering on what to do.

"Vell, it vould be nice to ask some questions vith out zhose dummkopfs around. Very vell, have a seat."

May sat in the only place she could find, the operating table. Sure it was cold and uncomfortable, but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that she was talking to her 'idol.'

"Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"Vell, how close is zhis 'Team Fortress' exactly?"

"Well...Again something's aren't mentioned like the Engineer having a wife and about half of your names, but other than that it's pretty much spot on. Here, try asking me a question about yourself and I'll try and see if I can answer it."

"Very vell. Let's see...vhat is mein home town?"

"Stuttgart, Germany."

"Correct. Vhat are zhe weapons I use in battle?"

"Come one that's an easy one. Your primary is a syringe gun, secondary is you medi gun and melee is a bonesaw. You'll have to do better than that." She said, once again grinning

"Again, correct. You vant a challenge I see. Vhat Vas mein involvement in zhe war?"

"I assume you mean World War II correct?"

He nodded his head.

"Now that one is tough since the past isn't really explained or even told. The one thing I'm sure of is that you are not a Nazi."

"Now how do you know zhat...I am a _crazed _German doctor after all."

"Well, it was stated by the company who made Team Fortress, but I also know you aren't. Sure you might be insane, but I know my favorite character better than that."

"I'm your favorite? Vell zhat's certainly strange, but danke."

He was both confused and flattered. Why would this young girl like an old, sadistic doctor like himself.

"Yup, you always have been- er at least the character, but I guess that's pretty much you anyways."

"It seems to be, considering vhat you know about us to be true."

"Yea, now if you don't mind, may I ask you some questions?"

"Ja."

This was a dream come true to May. She was about to interrogate her favorite mercenary on everything she had always wondered.

"Is you name really Joseph?"

"Ja."

"Haha non-canon my ass! Eh sorry."

"Nein, it's ok."

"Ok, do you have any family like a wife?"

There was silence. The Medic stared straight ahead with a blank expression. May knew she shouldn't ask this, but she just had to know. Her curiosity had gotten the better.

"What really happened in World War II?"

"Zhat is none of your business!" screamed the Medic.

Tears were falling down his face heavily. It seemed so out of character for a doctor who didn't care about his patients.

"Curse my curiosity..." Muttered May, "It has to do with a concentration camp doesn't it?"

"GET OUT!" he screamed.

Still crying uncontrolable and his voice cracking, the man was still intimidating May.

"I-I'm sorry…" she said, depressed and scared.

She had just angered him. She didn't wish to ever anger him or anyone. Anytime she screwed up she would always blame herself and shy away from the person she had angered. This time though, it was entirely her fault.

"GET OUT AND DON'T EVER BRING ZHAT UP EVER AGAIN!"

She complied and ran out the door, holding back her own tears as she ran down the hallway. Why had she just angered a man that she had always wanted to be friends with? That was such a stupid thing to ask him. Why did she ever ask him that? At least those fan stories had some truth to it...that was the only upside to this whole mess.

May ran down the hallway blindly, not paying attention to where she was going or what she was doing. Suddenly, a bright light appeared before her, surrounded by hot, humid air. She didn't even realize that she had run outside, but at least she was now alone.

She sat down against the wall and released her tears. They streamed down her face at speedy rate. It had been quite a while since she had cried, maybe a few years, but why had something such as this triggered it? Maybe nothing before it had caused her enough grief to cry. Maybe it was because she had angered someone that she was fond of. None of this made any sense, hell this entire world didn't make sense. She didn't grieve when she lost her grandfather suddenly, but she would over angering a fictional character? That's right he isn't real, so none of this should matter.

'Stop crying, stop crying, stop crying!' she yelled in her thoughts.

Her mind was in a frenzy and she didn't hear the footsteps that were approaching her.

"Oi, Shelia! Are you OK?"

It was a voice she knew all too well, that belonged to the Sniper. She looked up and saw the tall, lean man staring at her with a hint of concern showing on his face.

"Uh, yeah I am. I just uh… I just angered someone. I'm the type of person that hates to disappoint or anger someone." She said, wiping the tears off her face and sniffling.

'I hate it when my nose gets clogged up.' She thought.

"Well, that kind of attitude won't get you anywhere in life. You always have to anger someone to get where you're wanting to go." The Australian offered his hand to her.

May gladly took it and stood up.

"Thanks for the advice, but I only act like that under certain circumstances."

"Alroight, but who did you anger?" he asked.

She didn't want to say, but she knew she had to.

"I uh, angered the Medic. I accidentally asked a question that brought up some bad memories." She looked down, still mad at herself for what she had done.

"Moight as well cheer up. You are stuck with him for a while."

"Yeah I know and I should be happy, but now I'm scared to be around him."

"Why should you be happy, Shelia?"

"Well, I am talking with the characters from my favorite video game and the Medic happens to be my favorite, but you're a close second." She said with a smile.

"Thanks? I don't really know what to say to that and I'm not even going to ask what a video game really is."

"Good cause I don't want to explain it."

For a few awkward seconds the two of them stood there out in the hot desert in silence until May spoke up.

"So, uh, is there anything in particular you would like to know about my world or Team Fortress?" she asked once again.

"Well, I've got a million questions, but they aren't ones anyone can answer."

"I get it."

"But there was one that I was wondering that you could answer."

"Which is?" she asked

"How much does everyone know about me, or us."

"Well, we could play the question game like I did with the medic..." Her voice faltered as she recalled the Medic's screams, "But I'm afraid I'll end up asking the wrong thing."

"No worries shelia, I don't have anything to hide."

"Fine...just go ahead and ask me questions and I'll see if I can answer it. Whatever I can't answer, no one else knows."

"Why you're a cocky little shelia aren't you?"

"Normally no, but I take pride in my Team Fortress knowledge." She said with a grin.

"Whatever you say...so, let's start off with something easy. What's my name?"

"Man that's way too easy. It's Lawrence Mundy."

May was starting to perk up. She was becoming her normal happy, yet sometimes cynical and negative, self.

"Alroight miss know it all, wot did I do before coming to work at RED?"

"You were a wild animal tracker in the Outback. You spent weeks, even months alone and you don't mind it. In fact you prefer to be left alone." She said, still grinning at the fact that she knew whatever he could possibly ask.

"Fine then, wot are my parents' names?"

For once she couldn't answer that. That was something that was never mentioned. The only thing she knew about his parents were that they lived on Adelaide street and looked like 'Courage the Cowardly Dog's' Muriel and Eustace. She didn't want to say she didn't know so she recalled a story she had read on the internet that gave his parents' names.

"Uh...Dotty and Lawrence Mundy senior.?" she guessed.

"No- wait that's correct."

"Seriously?! That was a complete guess. Ok well maybe not complete, but I didn't know that. Those were literally fan names that someone had given them. Damn fans are good."

"Well this is getting pretty bloody creepy, so let's just stop there." he said, scratching his head in confusion as how this strange girl knew so much about him.

"OK. Is there anything else you want to know?" May asked.

"Nah, I best be kept ignorant on the truth, but if anything comes to mind, I'll be sure to ask."

For the first time, May had seen the Sniper smile a genuine smile. He seemed to enjoy talking this young girl, though May never would have known that. She always thought that every mercenary hated kids (Well the Soldier and Heavy are debatable) and the only one that might have be OK with a kid around would have been the Engineer.

"So what do you guys do for fun around here, other than fight the BLU's." she asked.

"Well we all do our separate thing for the most part. How would you feel about some target practice? If you're going to be here during the week days then you'll have to know how to shoot a gun."

"Ok that sounds fun, but I'll have to warn you my aim is terrible, even when playing a game." She said, laughing nervously.

"Then you probably shouldn't be a Sniper."

"Well I'll give it a shot. Besides it'll pass the time."

The two of them headed out towards the Sniper's van, so that he could grab his sniper rifle to practice with.

"So you really do live in a van, huh?" May said, looking around the interior of the van.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" the Sniper said in an annoyed voice.

"Oh no, not at all. Actually I think it's kinda cool. I mean your home is mobile, so you can travel where you want."

"Really?" he said in a surprised voice, "Everyone just makes fun of me for it especially that bloody Spy."

"I know and I don't see why."

"Well, er, thanks. Now let head to the practice field."

They walked out even further away from the base, to where the training field was set up.

"You know none of this is ever mentioned or shown in the game." May said.

"Really?" the Sniper said.

"Yeah I guess a practice range and living quarters aren't too important for a game about killing people and stealing intelligence."

"Makes sense."

For a few minutes they walked in a barren desert, seemingly to nowhere. Eventually they came across a flat field that was occupied by a small building and several targets that were set at different distances. The building seemed to be a combination of a bathroom and an ammunition closet, as the signs on the doors marked it as so.

"Hear we are." The Sniper said.

"Yup, don't ever recall seeing this place." May said.

"Alroight, that building contains all of our weapons that are used for practice. I'm sure no one will mind if you borrow them. If they do they'll have to take it up with me."

"Sweet!"

May ran towards the building and opened the door marked 'Ammunition's and Supplies' and stared in awe as to what she saw. Every single weapon she knew was there, hanging on racks against the wall. There were so many she wanted to try out, but she just couldn't carry them all. She would have to start out with the ones she really wanted to try and go from there. They had plenty of time so she began to make her selections.

She came out with the Huntsman, Sticky Bomb Launcher, Machina, Disguise Kit and Cloaking Device. The Sniper was staring at the girl who was loaded with weapons. It was certainly a strange site.

"Well, someone definitely loves our weapons." He called out to her.

"I love all these weapons. There's a bunch more I want to try though."

She got to the spot where the Sniper was standing and placed all the weapons on the ground, except the cloaking device that she had wrapped around her wrist.

"Alroight, what do you want to start with?" he asked.

"Well how about the Huntsman? It is my favorite weapon and it is yours after all."

"Alrioght. Know how it works?"

"Well with a mouse I do, but I think I'm pretty sure I can work a bow."

"Ok, just aim for that target out there." He said, pointing at a target that was only a few yards away.

May grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, set it in the string and pulled back.

"This isn't going to go well, I know it."

"Oh now don't be like that. You'll be fine."

The Sniper's words cheered her up. Maybe she could do it. Maybe she could hit the target. She took aim, but realized something important.

"Damn it, I can't see the target." she muttered to herself.

May put the bow down and reached for her bag. She stuck her hand inside and rummaged around until she felt what she was looking for. Her arm came out of the bag with a glasses case in her hand.

"You wear glasses?" the Sniper asked.

"Yeah, but I don't like to. They never stay on my face. I always have to push them back up when they start sliding down." she said as she opened the case and placed the glasses on her face, "I can't see stuff far away clearly, but it's not too bad. I can manage without them, but when I drive and go to school I have to wear them. It's really just a pain."

"Eh don't worry about it. Not all of our eyesight's are perfect. I mean the Medic and I need glasses." he replied.

"Wait you mean those," she said pointing at the yellow tinted aviators on his face, "are actually need for you to see?"

"Yeah why'd you think I wear them all the time?"

"Uh, because you liked them and they looked cool?"

"Well, yes I do, but without them I'm blind as a bat. Can't see two feet in front of me."

"Wow did not know that...hey isn't that pretty ironic for a Sniper" she said, picking up the bow once more and taking aim.

"Just focus." He said sternly.

She pulled back the string, focusing on the center of the target as much as possible.

'Come on I can do this.' she thought.

May released the string, and saw the bow fly through the air towards the target. For a split second she thought she the arrow was going to hit it, but it began to lose its altitude and fell a few feet in front of the target.

"Damn it..." she said.

She knew she wouldn't be able to do it. She knew she would fail.

"Not bad for a first try. You've got the technique right, but you've got to work on your aim and power. The bow, being custom fit to my stature, moight be hard for you to use." the Sniper said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Eh, let's try some other weapons first." May said.

She laid the bow down and picked up the Sticky Bomb Launcher. Upon closer inspection, May noticed that it was slightly different than the one she was familiar with. This one had a small screen on the top that seemed to tell you how many stickies were laid out and how much ammo was left in the weapon. She felt around the weapon and felt two triggers on the bottom. May assumed that the one on the right detonated and the one on the left fired.

"Ok, I think I've got this one figured out."

She aimed towards the target once more and quickly tapped the left trigger. A sticky bomb flew out of the barrel and landed half way between her and the target.

"Ok... I got this." she muttered.

It was just like the computer controls had been mapped out to an actual launcher. It was quite easy to work, even the reloading. All she had to do was pump the leaver on the side and it would magically reload, with the number on the screen increasing when she did so. Where the ammo was stored and how it replenished its self, she had no idea, but it didn't matter as long as she was able to work the weapon correctly.

May aimed again and this time, she held down the trigger and could hear the launcher rev up. She knew it was charging up for a more powerful shot. After 5 seconds of charging she let go of the trigger and watch the bomb go flying. It went twice as far as the previous one had gone and managed to hit the target near the center. Excited, May pulled the right trigger and saw the bombs exploded instantly in a fiery blast.

"Yes! I did it!" She screamed in excitement.

"Though, it's not my profession to blow stuff up, you did well, Shelia." The Sniper said.

"Thanks, Sniper." She said with a smile.

"OK, what do you want to try next?" he asked May.

"How about the Disguise Kit and Cloaking device?"

"Why not, but I don't know how to work them. Spy never lets anyone touch his stuff."

"I'm sure I can figure it out." She replied confidently.

May fiddled around with the watch, analyzing every inch of it. The watch was just like one she knew and loved. It had the same screen that showed its cloaking meter, which was currently full and it fit comfortably around her wrist. She notice two buttons on the side and pressed them simultaneously. Instantly she saw her arm disappeared and heard the familiar cloaking noise.

"Yes I got it! This is so cool. You know we don't have this back home." She said.

The Sniper replied to an invisible May, "Wot? But you have those fancy computers and advanced cell phones and whatever those video games are!"

"Well, we don't have cloaking devices, sentry guns and especially not teleporters. In ways you guys are actually more advanced then use. Besides this is the 70's, back home it's 2013 so when you guys reach that year, I'm sure you'll have far more advanced things. Also we don't have Australium."

"Really? Now that's a shocker." He said

"Hey Sniper, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Wot?"

"Why aren't you like most Australians here?"

"Well...most Aussies live in the cities where a concentrated amount of Australium lies, so the people there are exposed to a large amount, which affects their bodies and mind to what stereotypical Australians are seen as. On the other hand, I grew up in a small town that was located in the Outback where there wasn't as much Australium. Most people there are like any other person, unless they moved there from the city." The Sniper answered.

"Makes sense." May said.

The cloak suddenly ran out and she was soon visible to the Sniper.

"Now the Disguise Kit...how does this thing even work?!"

"You'll have to ask the bloody Spy that."

"Figuree...OK, let's see."

She opened the Disguise Kit, only to see the left side to be completely filled with cigarettes.

"Of course..." she said with distaste.

She looked on the right side and saw 3 buttons, the first of which was red while the other two were yellow. May realized that she had no idea how to actually work this thing, seeing as how in the game you just pressed a button 1-9 for whoever you wanted. The red button must have been the on and selection button and the other two must be used for selection. She pressed the red button and the screen lit up saying, 'Welcome to the Spytron 3000. Please make your selection.' and she pressed the button on the right, making the screen change to that of the Scout's model. The model was a full picture of his entire body that turned like it was on a pedestal. She scrolled through and found the one that she wanted to choose. She made her selection by pressing the red button and was instantly covered in red smoke. It obscured her vision slightly, but once it went away, she was staring straight at the Sniper whose jaw was hanging down. What was weird was that difference she felt was that she was taller. Normally she would have had to look up at the Sniper, but now they were standing face to face.

"Bloody hell you got it to work, but why'd you choose me?"

May looked at her self and realized she was dressed exactly like the Sniper, except she was in blue instead of red.

"Thought it might freak you out." She said with a grin, that of the Sniper's

"Well it's honestly bloody creepy staring at yourself, especially since your voice is coming out of my body."

"Wait, I thought I was disguised as the BLU Sniper?"

"You are Shelia, look just like him."

"But..."

Were the RED's and BLU's identically just like in the game? That didn't make any sense. Maybe the Sniper just never bothered to think about it, though it would be creepy to think that you were fighting someone that was identical to you. "Never mind. Now how do I get this disguise off?"

"Well, if the Spy attacks in any way, the disguise disappears. Makes no bloody sense, but neither does the Spy."

"Alright then I'll just-"she swung her am in the motion of a punch and the red smoke enveloped her once again. When it went away this time though, she was back to her normal self.

"Good to see you back, Fraulein." said a voice that was different from the Sniper. It was shaky as though the person had been nervous to talk.

May turned around and saw the Medic standing there, with his arms behind his back. He looked horrible, as if he had just been through and emotional breakdown. She remembered how angry she had made him and began to cower away in fear of disappointment and anger.

"Uh…hi…I'm, uh, sorry about earlier." She said in a sorrowful tone, with her head held low to prevent looking at him.

"Nein, it is I who should apologize. I lost control and I am sorry." He said.

His tone was, surprisingly, sad and full of regret. He actually meant what he said.

"You better!" yelled the Sniper, "I found the Shelia outside crying because of what you did!"

The Medic's face now showed complete and total regret. There was no happiness or joy left, just regret.

"Sniper, you don't have to...I asked the wrong questions and pushed him to far..."

May still felt horrible for what she had done. Incurring the wrath of someone she liked or cared about was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

"Vhy vere you crying fraulien?" the Medic asked, in a concerned tone.

"...I don't really want to talk about it..."

"Vell ,I vas here to apologize and invite you back to zhe medical bay, so ve can have a proper talk."

May perked up a bit when he said that and was glad to hear that the Medic was kind enough to let her go back to the medical bay.

"I uh- Thank you." She said as she began to walk over to the Medic.

"Wot about target practice?! You still have the Machina to try out!" the Sniper yelled, not out of anger, but out of confusion and enjoyment. He actually enjoyed this girls company and didn't want her to leave. Being the loner, it certainly was strange for him to enjoy someone else's company.

"I was going to fail at it anyways!" she called out, as she got increasingly farther away from the Sniper, "I told you my aim is terrible! I wouldn't be a good Sniper! Thanks for everything though! You really cheered me up! I'll see you later!" she yelled back at him.

"Uh, bye shelia! I'll see you back at the base!"

The Sniper stood there, confused as to what happened. No matter, he decided to just put away all the weapons May had gotten out, then head off to his van for some relaxation.

* * *

May and the Medic walked back to the base in silence. She feared asking the wrong question again or even speaking and decided to just keep her mouth shut unless the Medic addressed her.

The entire journey was silence as they walked back to the medical bay to have their 'proper chat.'

* * *

**Ok I'm going to say this now before anyone gets this idea in their head... NO THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE ANYTHING BETWEEN MAY AND ANY MERCENARY! THAT WOULD JUST BE REALLY WEIRD AND WRONG! Anyway...back to our regularly scheduled fun fact.**

**Fun Fact: **

**The names of the Sniper's parents are once again a reference to ChaosandMayhem's 'I'll be home for the Holidays' story. I'll say this once more. Go read it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**REVISED(ISH) CHAPTER**

**Why ish? Because I got really lazy up to a certain point after the fight. I stopped editing because I decided that I was going to use this as a template for another story. That's right, I'm going to expand on this back story! I love this chapter so much, that I just had to write more about it. I hope someone cares about this...**

**A/N: OK I take back what I said in the last chapter. THIS is my new favorite chapter for reasons you will probably see when you read it.** **This is probably one of the few, if not only times, that I will use the f word seeing as how I don't like to use it, but it was necessary here.**

**I probably won't be able to top this chapter at all so...**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. I have know idea how college works (even though I really should) so if there are a few things that don't seem right, just ignore them.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Joseph and Karolin**

* * *

The rest of the walk back to the base was silent. Neither May nor the Medic spoke one word to each other or anyone they passed.

"Aye, 'ow ya doin lassie?" the Demoman asked as the two passed bye.

May didn't even notice or hear him. She had just spaced off, and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her.

"Lass? Are ye ok?" he asked with some concern.

This time she heard him, but didn't feel like speaking, so she just waved at him.

"OK..." he shrugged.

Tavish knew that something was wrong with the girl, but decided not to interfere. Knowing that he wouldn't get any other response from her, he went on his way, back to his room to finish up a few experiments.

Finally, after a long awkward walk, the two of them finally made it to the medical bay. The Medic opened the door and motioned for May to step inside. She did so, nervously, scared that she would once again screw up.

"Sit." He said firmly.

Once again, May sat down on the operating table, but didn't notice how uncomfortable it was this time. Her mind was to nervous to think of a petty thing such as that. All she was focusing on was not to say the wrong things.

The Medic took off his long coat and hung it on a coat rack by the door. Underneath he was wearing the same vest as he had in his Meet the video, except without the bloodstains. He grabbed his desk chair and pulled it over in front of May.

"Nein, sit here."

"Um, OK." She replied nervously.

She hopped off the table and gingerly sat down in the office chair. The Medic leaned against the table and stood there looking exasperated. May didn't know if she should speak first or not, so she waited until he spoke up and broke the silence.

"Once again, I apologize for mein outburst. It vas uncalled for und rude. If I may ask zhough, vhy vere you crying?"

For a second May hesitated to speak, but she eventually managed a sentence, "I, uh, I don't like to anger people..."

"Zhen you should know vhen to stop talking." He said, this time with a hint of bitterness and a slight scowl.

May, whimpered, causing the Medic to once again look apologetic.

"Verdammnt, I did not mean for zhat to be harsh. I vas just giving advice."

"O-OK…" she responded with a despondent tone.

"You know, ve didn't really get a formal introduction."

"I, uh, I know."

"Vell I'll start off. I am Joseph Artz, more commonly known to you as zhe Medic,"

May, giggled at hearing him say 'the Medic.'

"Und I work for zhe Reliable Excavation Demolition's team vere ve fight for zhe Builders League United's Intelligence und territory. Ve once even tried to deliver a case of Australium to ein rocket but...zhat did not end vell."

"I know, that poor monkey." She said, laughter escaping her lips.

May was beginning to cheer up, and was less nervous about being around the man she had previously angered.

"Well I'm May Flowers and I don't work anywhere and I ended up here because of my crazy obsession with a video game." She said with a smile.

The Medic laughed, "Ja, but is is good zhat you are here."

"Why? Didn't I anger you?" she asked in confusion.

"Ja, but...zhat is vhy I brought you here."

"What?"

"I brought you here to tell you vhat you...vhat you vanted to know." He said, his voice beginning to falter.

"But, it was rude to ask such a personal thing. Sure I was curious but if you don't want to talk about it then y-"

Her attempt at politeness was interrupted by the Medic, who had already begun to tell her of his past.

* * *

The year was 1940 and a aspiring, young man was studying to become a medical doctor at Stugartt College. He had just gotten out of his human anatomy class and decided to begin studying for his final exam, even though it was half a semester away.

He was determined to finish at the top of his class above his rival, Lukas Lehmann.

They had been rivals for as long as Joseph could remember. Throughout all of primary, middle, and high school, they competed for awards and praise. They were evenly matched opponents, causing each to win and lose some. In the last 5 years though, Lukas had beaten Joseph, finishing the years out as number 1 of their class. He might be loosing their rivalry even if it was slightly, but Joseph was determined more than ever to graduate as valedictorian.

Lukas's grades were just .1 percent better than Joseph, and he knew that if he were to do his best, he would come out on top. In order to achieve this though, Joseph was going to have to finish out the year with a perfect 100 in all his classes. This would be challenging, but he knew he was capable of accomplishing it.

Joseph gathered his necessary materials needed for studying and headed out of his dormitory to the campus library. Walking across the campus, Joseph spotted Lukas coming his way. He attempted to avoid him, but was unable to do so when Lukas blocked his path.

Lukas was, in appearance, quite the opposite of Joseph. Instead of jet black hair, Lukas had bleach blonde hair that was a tad longer than Joseph, reaching down to his shoulders. He needed no glasses and had a sturdy build, unlike Joseph who was quite skinny and tiny.

"Vere are you headed, Artz?" Lukas said with a mocking tone.

"None of your business, Lehmann. Just leave me be."

Joseph was always the victim of their 'relationship.' He was a shy man that was scared of breaking the rules. He was obedient, but to an extent where it hurt him. Joseph always took Lukas's verbal abuse, threats, and occasional punches. The man was a bully towards him and he had no courage to fight back.

The one thing Joseph had over Lukas was his mind. He had always been able to outsmart him in anything, even in sports, despite not being as athletically gifted as Lukas had been. The problem was that it was the only thing he was better in than Lukas, even if it had not shown in the past few years.

Joseph would admit that he had become a bit lazy in his studies the past 5 years because of a side project he had been working on. The project was simple in concept, yet hard to execute. The idea to instantly heal someone through a mere shot was brilliant, but not as easy to create a working serum.

Medically, it seemed impossible, but Joseph was determined to created a scientific miracle. Five years seemed a bit long for a mere side project, but that it was not. While he classified it as one, this project was actually one of his life goals, so it would take much longer than a few years to create.

Catalyze the healing factor in a human's body to that of 100 times faster was the answer to this miracle serum he was trying to develop. This would allow instant regeneration of cells and rapid healing, enough so that a mortally wounded man would completely recover in a matter of a few seconds.

The serum though, he was having trouble with. It seemed no chemical or elemental mix could cause this process to activate. He had tried thousands of combinations, all to have 90% of them instantly kill the test subject (animals). It seemed that it just couldn't be done, but Joseph would not give up, he wasn't that kind of man.

He might not have given up, but his progress on the project had slowed down due to the extensive studying he had forced himself to do. His rivalry with Lukas took priority for the time being, but now, Lukas stood in his way of achieving his goal.

"Ve both know I von't do zhat."

His intimidating look and tone caused a wave of worry to go over Joseph. He knew that no one was getting out of this unharmed.

Lukas shoved him, causing him to stumble back drop his books and binders. Helpless to do anything, he simply bent down to gather his belongings.

"Vhy don't you ever fight back mein schweinhund?"

"I don't vant to und I am not your schweinhund." he replied, with annoyance a fear in his voice.

Lukas kicked him in the side, making Joseph tumble down to the ground in pain. It was a particularly hard kick, one that made Joseph curl up in pain on the concrete.

"You'll never be valedictorian, Artz, I vill. You're to weak to achieve such a great honor. I am the only one who deserves it, n-." he said with malice.

"Lukas! Vhat are you doing?!" yelled a disembodied female voice.

It was that of a voice that Joseph had come to love. It was Karolin Engel, the woman he had been in love with his entire life, but belonged to Lukas's.

* * *

For as long as Lukas had been his rival, Joseph had been in love with Karolin. They started off as best friends in Primary school, but as the rivalry between Joseph and Lukas had increased, the farther apart Karolin became from Joseph. Lukas knew of Joseph's crush on Karolin and knew how to emotional destroy his enemy. Through the years, he pushed Karolin away from Joseph, deliberately charming her, making her fall in love with him.

Lukas wasn't an emotional man, so the relationship between him and Karolin had been purely one sided. His attempts were so good though, that she fell madly in love with him, and was willing to do whatever he wanted. Once they started dating, Lukas forbid her to be friends with Joseph, forcing her to be with no one but him.

This was a demand that she hated, but if she wanted to be with him, she had to obey it. When she was first told though, she outright said no, stating that he was her best friend. Unfortunately, Lukas threatened her, which caused her to stray away from Joseph unwillingly.

Though Lukas didn't feel the same way about Karolin as Joseph did, the relationship he had manufactured between the two of them was completely out of hatred for Joseph. Lukas didn't care for anyone but himself, which was apparent to Joseph, but not to Karolin. Multiple times, Joseph had tried to tell her of both his and Lukas's true feelings, but he was always stopped by either his shyness or by Lukas himself. All attempts at talking to her were failures with Lukas in the way.

Karolin and Lukas had been dating for 7 years now and Joseph had been wondering when he was going to propose. He of course feared it, since it meant that he could never be with her, but if it made her happy than it wouldn't matter. Joseph wanted to be happy with her, but her happiness was his top priority. If she was happy, then he was to in some form.

* * *

"Lukas Lehmann, I demand you to stop right now!" she said, with anger in her voice.

Her fist clenched and expression sturdy, she walked up to Lukas and stupidly pushed him backwards.

Joseph saw the fury in Lukas's eyes and feared at what he thought he was going to do.

Lukas turned around to face Karolin and brought his hand up high. It was just what Joseph had feared. He slapped her across the face so hard that the sound could have been heard from across the campus. She fell to the ground by the pure force of his hand and began crying at the pain.

"You do not tell me vhat to do!" screamed Lukas.

Joseph could do nothing but watch, as he was to scared to do anything. He desperately wanted to help Karolin, but that would have made it so Lukas would have beaten both Karolin and him harder. Because of that, he just lied there, watching as his rival beat the woman he loved.

"I-I'm sorry, Lukas!" she screamed in fear.

The man ruled her with an iron fist. He made her obey his every command, even if it was one she didn't want to submit to at all. She was to fearful of him to do anything about it, especially when it meant he was hurting the man she loved.

Though the two were oblivious to each other's love, she too had fallen in love, but not with Lukas. At first she could only obsess over Lukas, but as the years went on, her love for the man had begun to disappear. He constantly abused her more and more and she couldn't stand it, but she still loved him and couldn't leave him. Recently though, she began to care very little for him, almost to the point of despising him, but now something else caused her from leaving him, fear.

Lukas had become increasingly violent in the past few months and it really showed. As Joseph was lying there, watching the abuse, he noticed the many bruises that Karolin was covered in. She had a black eye and several bruises on her arms and legs. Her long blonde hair was attempting to cover the ones on her neck, but failed to do so. As small as she was, a majority of her body was now covered in bruises and gashes. Joseph was in shock at how badly she was beaten up, as well as in anger. The way she had looked made him furious. All he wanted to do was murder the man that had done this to her. He wanted to perform some "examinations" on the man.

Joseph stared in sadness and guilt. He was too much of a coward to do anything, but lie there and watch.

With Karolin on the ground crying, Lukas felt he made his point and turned back to face Joseph. He bent down and grabbed Joseph by the collar, pulling him up.

"Do not get in my vay Artz. I vill destroy you. I vill vin zhis var!" he said in threatening tone.

Joseph just stood there in silence, accepting the threat. Lukas threw him down and grabbed Karolin's arm forcefully.

"Ve are going to have a talk about zhis!" he said, intimidating Karolin causing her to wimper in fear.

Lukas pulled her down the path without her consent. She didn't want to go and have this 'talk,' she just wanted to be with Joseph, but she was to scared to fight back.

Joseph watched them walk off, curled up in shame.

"Mein Gott, I am such a dummkopf!" he screamed in anger and guilt, smashing his head against one of his books, "Ow! Verdammnt!"

He was to scared to do anything. He couldn't protect the one person he loved, and he never would be able to.

Joseph once again gathered his items and headed off to the library to fulfill what he set out to do in the first place.

He was unable to study that day though, because he was ridden with a mixture of emotions. Guilt, shame, anger, sadness, every negative emotion you could think of, Joseph felt. He hated himself for not being able to stand up to Lukas and let Karolin and himself be treated like that. He feared what might happen to her if he stepped in between their relationship. Joseph desperately wanted her to leave him for her own good.

He already decided that he was unable to do anything. Though the thoughts never once left his mind, Joseph continued to study in hopes to finally best Lukas at their game.

* * *

3 months later

"Please welcome your Valedictorian, Joseph Artz!"

He had done it, he had finally beaten Lukas Lehmann. After countless hours of studying, Joseph had finally achieved his goal.

He happily went upon stage and accepted his diploma and award. Pulling out some note cards, he prepared for his speech. Looking around the sea of people, Joseph searched the crowd for someone, someone in particular. He spotted her, but a smile did not come on his face.

Karolin was sitting in the center of everyone and looked even worse than she normally did. His heart stopped. He couldn't believe that she was even worse. Joseph could only assume that because Lukas has lost, he had taken out his anger on Karolin. Then it hit him. Karolin was like that because of him. Why couldn't he figure it out before? The whole reason she was in an abusive relationship was because of him. It was because of him that she was constantly hurt. It was because of him that Lucas had tricked her into that loveless relationship. It was because of him that she was going to live like this for the rest of her life.

There was no way now, that Lukas wasn't going to force her into marriage. It would be the sweetest revenge. Karolin would be tortured the rest of her life. He brought this upon her and there was no denying it. It was all his fault.

Joseph's mind went blank at the sudden realization. He spaced out, paying attention to only his chaotic thoughts. A man tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality and reminding him of the speech he was suppose to present. He couldn't do it, not now that he realized that everything was his fault. This was suppose to be a happy time, but all he could feel was misery.

The crowd just stood there in silence and confusion, waiting for him to speak, but it never happened. Joseph just walked right of the stage and headed back to his dormitory. He wasn't thinking straight. The new doctor was just acting off of emotion and impulse.

* * *

His dorm was full of boxes that had been packed the previous week, in preparation to leave this place. He had planned on moving to a small apartment located in the middle of the city, that would have been used to open his own doctors office. Joseph didn't yet have the money, but none of that mattered now, all that mattered was leaving this place, for good.

He burst into the room, running towards the stacks of boxes. He frantically threw every box away, only stopping for a split second to read the labels. Numerous boxes were thrown awry, until he found the one he was looking for. The one labeled 'Medical Equipment.' Joseph tore the box open like an angry bear and rummaged through it, until he found the item that had been on his mind. His latest attempt at a regeneration serum had been a complete failure. It had almost instantly killed the rat he tested it on. It was what he was wanting right now.

He couldn't live with himself knowing that he had brought harm to the one he loved. Living with that guilt would have destroyed his sanity, eventually leading to death, so why not get the job done faster? Joseph found a syringe and poured the bright red liquid into it. Flicking it with a sigh, he prepared himself for the injection . Joseph rolled up his sleeve and placed the needle on the inside of his elbow, hesitating.

"Go ahead and do it, make me and everyone else happy." said a voice coming behind him.

Startled, Joseph turned around, only to see his rival standing in the doorway with a smug grin. Of course it had to be Lukas. That devil of a man was not the last person he wanted to see before death, but wait...how did he know the serum would kill him?

"How did you kn-"

"You dummkopf! I have been monitoring the progress on your little project for 4 years!"

Joseph stood there in silence. His expression became long and Lukas laughed, knowing the shock that Joseph was going through. The shock paralyzed his body, causing him the syringe to fall from his grip. It shattered, causing the liquid to spill out on the floor. Joseph didn't notice, but Lukas did. He looked at the mess, smiling evilly.

"You haven't kept it from me very vell. Leaving your room unlocked, allowed me to easily gain entry and analyze your notes." he said as he reached for his pocket.

Lukas pulled out a vial a small vial that was topped with a simple beige cork. The transparent glass revealed the contents inside, which were tinted a faint blue. Joseph immediately recognized the liquid. It was Lukas's own attempt at a regeneration serum.

"I have been following you ever since I discovered vhat you have been working on. This serum is created from my own formula created using your notes. For all you know, this could be a working formula," Lukas laughed darkly, looking at the vial, then back to Joseph, "I believe zhis is a very important project, correct?"

Joseph only responded with and low animalistic growl, answering Lukas's question.

"I thought so. It vould only be proper if I destroyed zhis little project of yours, just like I did vith Karolin."

Rage instantly replaced Joseph's shock. What Lukas had just said, caused him to finally snap. Lukas's face turned to that of surprise when he saw a furious Joseph lunge at him. The tackle caused Lukas to lose his balance, causing them to fall to the ground. Pinning him, Joseph let out a relentless stream of punches. After all those years of torture, he was finally getting his revenge. Joseph did what Lukas had done to Karolin, but with the strength of an enraged man. Lukas fought back, causing numerous injuries, but the adrenaline pumping through Joseph's body didn't allow him to feel the pain.

Finally, he had the courage to fight back. Joseph thanked his anger for allowing him to do what he had wanted to for so long.

Cusses were slurred from both sides, a mixture of German and English. Neither side could truly understand the insults, but that didn't matter. They knew they were insults and that was all that mattered.

Lukas retaliated to early. It wasn't a long enough to justify all those years of torture. He pushed Joseph off of him and with a thud, Joseph landed on his back. Joseph wanted more, Lukas deserved more but he had interrupted him. Once again, Lukas had ruined his fun, making him hate him even more if it was even possible.

He quikly got up, not allowing Lukas to do what he had to him.

"You deserve more you fucking bastard!" yelled Joseph.

He was filled with rage, frustration, and, oddly, happiness. Sure he was happy that he was finally getting revenge but it wasn't that kind of joy. He was thoroughly enjoying causing this man pain, and it wasn't because of his history with him, no. The enjoyment was purely out of a term know as schadenfreude.

Lukas struggled to get up. He was bleeding from every place imaginable. Joseph had really given him a beating, but he wasn't going to take it lightly, oh no, he was going to fight with all his might. Lukas wanted this fight as much as Joseph did.

Staggering to stand up, he wobbled back in forth, trying to maintain some balance. He steadied himself against a wall near the doorway. Lukas could feel the blood dripping down his face. He wiped the back of his hand across his lip and saw how much his busted lip really was bleeding. Angry that his rival was finally fighting back, he snarled at him.

"You'll regret zhat mein Schweinhund!"

"For zhe last god damn time, I am not your fucking schweinhund!"

From across the room, the two men stared at each other with malice filled eyes, neither making a move. They were panting in exhaustion, both wondering what to do.

Suddenly, Lukas began to run towards Joseph, screaming. He was going to murder the little bitch for what he had done.

Out of panic, Joseph backed up, only to hit the boxes stacked against the wall. He knew that if Lukas were to get a hold of him, he would be in for some serious injuries. he might have wanted to end his life, but not at the end of his lifelong enemy. No. He didn't have that honor.

Joseph panicked and reached behind him. He grabbed the first thing he felt, which luckily, had a handle. Struggling to get a grip on it, he finally wrapped his fingers around it and held it out in front of him, closing his eyes, waiting for an impact. There was a push against Joseph's arm and then silence. The screaming had stopped and he no longer heard the footsteps of his rival. Slightly confused, Joseph opened his eyes to see what had happen, only to stumble back into the boxes and falling to his rear.

On the floor in front of him lied Lukas, only he was no longer breathing, there was no way he was. He lied there covered in a mass amount of blood that Joseph, himself, had caused. Feeling something gripped in his hands, Joseph looked down and saw what had caused such a fatal injury: A bone saw. From the force Lukas himself had produced alone, the bone saw had cut clean through his neck, severing his head which lied 3 feet away from his body.

Joseph was terrified at the sight that laid before him. Once again, he staggered back into the boxes, causing them all to tumble down.

This wasn't what he was wanting to do. He wasn't a killer. All he had wanted was revenge, but he didn't want to go this far. He dropped the bone saw, shaking violently.

"Vhat have I done..." he shakily muttered.

Joseph stood up and tried to walk away from the corpse. Wanting to get away from this mess, he ran to the other side of the room, as far away as he could. He heard the sound of glass breaking and realized that he had just stepped on the shattered remains of the syringe. He looked down at it and realized that his and Lukas's mixtures had fused together, creating a purple tinted mixture.

His research had been ruined. In an hurried attempt to finish before graduation, Joseph forgot to write down the latest mixture. This stupid mistake would have caused him to essentially start over from the last attempt. It might have been a failed attempt but it was still progress none the less.

Realization hit him. This miracle serum was just a waste of time. For all his hard work, nothing useful was produced. All his attempts ended in failure. There was now way of creating a working formula.

For Joseph, his belief still stood. There was nothing for him to live for anymore.

He had just committed homicide and realized that his years of research were all in vain. Surely he would be found and arrested for murder, then executed. There was no point in prolonging his life. He might as well end it now.

Joseph looked at the puddle on the floor, realizing that if he couldn't get the mixture right, then neither could Lukas. He still wanted to pass away by his own creation, even if it was now mixed with Lukas's. It was still his own creation, so it would still be the same.

Joseph grabbed a jagged shard of the shattered syringe and thought. This would be it. One exposed wound, a small drop of the mixture, and it would all be over. He sighed, then with a quick motion, Joseph slashed himself across his right palm.

He cringed in pain. It stung so bad, but it wouldn't matter. That small wound would be nothing compared to the poison that would enter his body. From the bottom of his pointer finger down to his wrist, blood trickled down into the mixture, but Joseph didn't notice. The serum had to enter the bloodstream to take affect and a wound this deep was bound to hit a vein somewhere (made obvious by the blood pouring out).

He prepared himself. Once his hand touch the mixture, it would be all over. Joseph was shaking in fear. He was scared of death and how it would feel, but there really was no reason for him to live. He was ready for it to be over.

Joseph's shook madly as he lowered it into the mixture. The wound made contact and he waited for some kind of pain, but it never came. What did come was the relief of pain in his torn hand. Confused, Joseph pulled his hand up and stared at it. There was no cut anymore. His hand had been completely healed.

In disbelief, Joseph cut his hand once more and stuck it back into the mixture. Again, the pain subsided and his hand had been instantly mended, with no scar in sight.

"I can not believe it...It vorks! Hahaha, I can't believe zhis vorks!" he screamed with glee, momentarily forgetting of the decapitated body that was laying in his room.

Quickly, though, he came back to his senses, remembering of what had just happened. No longer did he want to commit suicide, for there was something to live for now. What he had worked on for over 5 years had finally been accomplished, though by the death of his rival. He remembered that he had just killed a man, and was reverted back to the shocked state he had been in before.

What was he going to do? There was no way he would be able to cover this up. Someone would come looking for him, anyone, even Karolin. He had forgotten about Karolin, but remembering that Lukas was now dead, she was free from his wrath. He had freed her. He had fixed what he had caused. She would no longer suffer, and he could finally be with her, but...she couldn't know of what he had done.

This was his chance. Finally, he could be with the woman he had been in love with for over 10 years, but she was still in love with another man, the one lying dead in front of him. He could still be with her, he just needed to dispose of the body.

Covering this up would be difficult, but he could manage it. Joseph picked up the bloodied bone saw and placed it back in the box that he had grabbed it from. There was no time to clean it, he had to do this as fast as he could. Frantically, he searched through boxes, desperately trying to find trash bags.

Rummaging around, he eventually found some and began to wrap the body and severed head in several layers. There might not have been time to clean the bone saw, but he had to clean the stains on the floor. He could hide the saw for now, but not the stains.

Joseph ran to the bathroom and grabbed a bar soap and a towel. He was still panicking over the deed he had just accomplished accidentally. He wet the soap and scrubbed as hard as he could. Rigorously scrubbing, Joseph cleaned it as best as he could. A faint red was still there, but it was barely noticeable, so Joseph moved on.

He needed to dispose of the body, but how? Throwing it in a dumpster would be a dead give away. Burying it would be traceable, so what else was there? Racking his brain for ideas, Joseph thought of one that seemed to be one of the hardest to trace. Burning it. Yes the only evidence would be the ashen remains, but those were easy to dispose of.

A plan in place, Joseph snuck out and headed towards his car. He was going to have to do this someplace desecrate where nobody could see, hear, or smell him. The outskirts of Stugartt seemed like the best place, seeing as how it wasn't as inhabited as the city and the dense forests would provide some cover.

Joseph headed out of town to the outskirts of Stugartt. He ended up near the forest line and, making sure that no one was around, he quickly gathered the bags and ran off into the forest with a matchbox in his pocket and a small bottle of lighter fluid in another. For 20 minutes, Joseph ran deep into the forest, not paying attention to where and how far he was going. He just needed to get away from civilization as far as he could before burning the body.

Eventually, he figured being in the middle of the forest was good enough and, once again, he quickly checked his surroundings to make sure no one was around. Seeing the forest void of anyone but himself, Joseph pulled out the matches and lighter fluid. He tore open the bag, revealing the lifeless body and severed head and began to douse it in the flammable fluid. Once the bottle had been completely empty, Joseph took out a match and lit it. He looked upon the body once more, but this time with malice and happiness.

He grinned, "Goodbye, Lukas." and dropped the match, watching the body erupt in flames.

Joesph stood there, watching the body burn to ashes as he reflected on how this event was changed his life. No longer was the shy cowardly Joseph Artz there, but in his place was a courageous man who was no longer afraid to do anything. This man would now kill for what he wanted. He could now stand up to others. He could now stop living in fear. Finally, he could now confess his love to Karolin.

How on earth was he going to explain this to Karolin? Obviously he couldn't tell her that he just murdered her long time boyfriend, even if he had been an abusive bastard. He must come up with a lie, even if he didn't want to.

As the body burned to nothing but hot ashes, Joseph stood there in content. He was finally free on Lukas's tyranny. Joseph scooped up a part of his ashes into the now empty bottle, as a sort of keep sake for this life changing event. The ashes symbolized a new man and the ending of a young coward. The ashes that wouldn't fit into the bottle were thrown into the air, scattered so no one would find the burned body of Lukas Lehmann.

Joseph headed back to his car, eager to confront Karolin of his feelings. He raced back to the college and looked in the first place he thought she might find her, in her room, trying to hide from her abusive boyfriend.

_Knock, knock_

"Karolin, are you in zhere?!" he yelled.

There was no response coming from the other side of the door.

"Verdammnt, vhere could she be?" he muttered in frustration.

The next place he would have guessed was Lukas's room. Maybe she was looking for him, considring he to had disappeared before graduation had even ended just like Joseph had. He had run down the hall that Lukas's room was on and saw that his door was jarred open slightly.

The door gave a loud creak, alerting the person in the room of his presence.

"L-Lukas, is zhat you?" a small voice cried out.

"Karolin, it is me, Joseph."

"Joseph?! Vhat are you doing here?! Lukas vill kill you if he knew you vere here!" she cried out to him in fear.

"Ve don't have to vorry about him anymore." he grabbed her by the shoulder's in an attempt to calm her down, "He is gone. Lukas left us."

"Vhat?" she questioned, confused as to what he had just said.

"Lukas has left us. He was furious that I finally won our war and he left town. He won't bother us anymore." he said, in a comforting voice.

"But vhat if he comes ba-" she was interrupted by their two lips meeting.

Oh how he had wanted to do that for so long, but he was to much of a coward to do it before. No longer did they have to live in fear. Now he could protect her. He didn't have to sit in the background, watching his loved one be beaten because of him. Those few precious seconds felt so blissful. He pulled away and looked at her shocked face.

"Joseph, I never knew." she said in shock.

"Karolin I have always loved you, but it vas because of me zhat you were vith Lukas. He never loved you. All he vanted vas to fill me vith jealousy and break mein heart, and it vorked. I have vanted to be vith you for 11 years, but Lukas knew of mein love and vowed to break me down emotionally. He seeked you out because of me. He hurt you because of me." he said with his voice getting increasingly unstable.

"Joseph..." she said in disbelief.

"Please, Karolin, please be vith me. I have vaited for over a decade. Please." he pleaded.

Karolin stood there in disbelief, staring in his eyes, seeing genuine sadness and desperation. It wasn't long before the two were locked in an embrace again by both arms and lips, but this time it was by Karolin.

"Joseph I vill." she said, happily crying.

"None of zhis vas your fault mein Schatz." she said, "Vhat has happened to me vas mein own fault. I vas not brave enough to stand up to Lukas, but now zhat he is gone I von't have to take his torture any more."

She lovingly hugged him, feeling comfort and happiness as her head was pressed against his chest. Even he was starting to cry tears of joy. Finally he had gotten her, and he never wanted to let her go.

* * *

They stood like that for who knows how long, but all that mattered was that they were finally together. Eventually they did finally let go and Joseph was as happy as he ever had been, but there was still some unfinished business he had to take care of.

"Mein Geliebter, I have some zhings I need to take care of. Meet me in your room in 30 minutes vith your zhings ready to go, OK?"

She nodded her head.

"Go, I vill see you soon." he motioned for for her to leave, and she did so.

Once he knew she was gone, Joseph began to search the room for Lukas's notes. He searched through every box he could find, but found nothing. Why hadn't he packed it away already? They were to evacuate their rooms right after graduation, meaning there wouldn't be enough time to pack anything. Frustrated, Joseph searched every corner he could but found nothing.

"Vere zhe hell are zhey!" he screamed in anger.

Lukas must have known to hide them well, but where Joseph didn't know. He stood there, frustrated out of his mind, when he heard something turn on. It startled him, but he soon realized that it was just the air conditioner turning on. He paid no attention, but soon heard something that sounded like papers in the wind. No, he couldn't have. Joseph walked over to the air conditioner and opened it up, and sure enough there it was. All of Lucas's notes had been stored in the vent.

"Clever bastard..." he muttered.

Joseph grabbed all the contents of the vent and proceeded to leave the room. He headed back to his dorm room and entered with not that of shock at the still visible blood stains, but that of pride. He had gotten away with murder and the girl.

Joseph looked at the stains with delight. He walked over to the box where he had taken the bone saw out. It lied there, covered in dried blood. Joseph knew it would be difficult to clean the blood off but he didn't even want to. He wanted to keep it as it was, showing the blood of his first victim.

He gathered his most important things, such as his notes, equipment and some clothes and headed out. He wanted to leave most things behind and start a new life with Karolin. They were to run off and live on there own, happily ever after.

* * *

A year after Lukas's death, Joseph and Karolin had started a new life in Berlin. Joseph had accomplished what he had been wanting to do by opening his own doctor's office. By that time he had accomplished his two goals in life. He had successfully recreated the regeneration serum and had married the woman he had been in love with almost his entire life. They settled down in a cozy apartment above Joseph's office, where he had been making some good money. Karolin had been wanting to start a family, though Joseph wasn't fond of the idea at first, he soon warmed up to it. He wanted to make her happy though, so they attempted to, several times. Perplexed as to why she could never concieve, Joseph both of them and realized that it wasn't because of her, but rather it was his fault. He was unknowingly sterile, much to the disappointment of both of them.

Karolin had longed for a child and she knew the only person she could ever have one with was Joseph. She mourned the news for days, knowing that they were unable to have a child.

One day, as Joseph was closing up his office for the day, the bell rang, signalling that someone had entered. He was busy organizing files so he just yelled out blindly.

"Ve are closed for zhe day, come back tomorrow for a check up!"

"Doctor Artz, ve are not here for a check up." said a mysterious voice.

Joseph turned around to see an SS officer standing before him, holding out an envelope.

"Ve are here because zhe Nazi's vish to recruit you as a doctor." the man said calmly.

Joseph took the envelope from the man's hand, opening it and reading its contents.

"Ve hope to hear from you by tomorrow. I suggest not declining, Herr Doctor, it vould not be vise." the man said, leaving Joseph's office.

He read the letter and it seemed they wanted him to work at one of their work camps. It promised him unlimited experimentation and supplies for whatever research he wanted to conduct, but he knew that it would not be humane. Joseph knew of what those camps did and though he loved to experiment when ever he could, he did not approve of what the Nazi's had been doing one bit. He knew of the innocent people that had been sent there just because of their race and faith. Though he didn't have much regard for human life (especially when performing surgery, though he always had his serum to back him up) the way the Nazi's treated these people was downright immoral.

Joseph went upstairs to where Karolin had been cooking dinner.

"How vas vork mein Schatz?" she asked in a loving tone.

"Fine, but I vas given zhis from an S.S. officer a minute ago."

Horror paved Karolin's face, she assumed the worst.

"Ve haven't been sentenced have ve..." she asked in fear.

"Nein, but zhe want me to vork at one of zhere camps."

"Vhat did you say?"

"I haven't replied yet. Zhey vant an answer by tomorrow zhough."

He wasn't even debating what he was going to say. The answer would be an outright no.

"I von't accept zhough, after knowing what zhose people do."

"Zhen get in contact vith zhem and tell zhem." she said, returning to her cooking.

Joseph went over to the telephone that was attached to the wall and dialed the number that was included in the letter. For a few tense seconds, he went over what he was going to say in his head. The ringing stopped, someone had picked up.

"Gutten tag." a masculine voice said.

"Gutten tag, zhis is Doctor Joseph Artz. I have come to a decision on your offer."

"Ah gut."

"I have made zhe decision to decline, for I do not approve of your methods. Zhere vill be no changing mein mind." he said sternly.

"I highly suggest you accept Doctor Artz, for it vould be most unvise not to."

"My mind has been made up, Auf wiedercehen." he said, hanging up the phone.

He had gotten rid of that problem, and now he could just live out his life peacefully with his wife.

* * *

One week Later

Joseph had once again begun to close up the office for the day when he heard someone entering once again. It was another S.S. officer with another envelope.

"I have told you zhat I do not vish to vork for you people!" he said out of annoyance.

"Zhis isn't for zhat." the man said, handing him the envelope, then promptly walking back out the door.

Confused, Joseph opened the letter and read it. The more he read it, the more his expression turned from that of annoyance to fear. He ran upstairs to tell his wife of what had just happened.

"Karolin!" he yelled.

"Vhat?"

"Ve-ve are being deported..." he said, scared of the news.

She dropped the pan she had been cooking with, allowing it to fall to the floor.

_Klang!_

Neither paid attention to it. All that mattered was that their life was about to end. Karolin collapsed on the ground crying. Joseph ran over her and tried to comfort her to the best of his ability, though being that he wasn't either, his attempt was futile.

"Mein Gott, Ve are going to die!" she yelled, bawling her eyes out as her husband desperately tried to comfort her. "No one has ever returned alive!"

She knew they were going to die, and he knew that they would to. All they could do was follow the summons. There was no way to escape. They had to go.

* * *

5 days later, Karolin and Joseph showed up at the train station with only a small suitcase for each of them that held their most precious items. There were probably 200 or more people there with them that were of varying ages. There were old people and young people, but they all knew what was going to happen to them once that train pulled in.

As they heard the train roll into the station, Joseph grabbed Karolin's hand as an alleviation to her fears.

"It's going to be OK mein Gelibter." he whispered to her, though with not much confidence in those words.

As the train became visible, Karolin noticed something odd.

"Vhy are zhere cattle cars?" she asked in confusion.

Officers began to appear behind the crowd.

"Every one vill leave zheir stuff here! No one is to bring any belongings on board! If you are caught vith anyzhing of value, you vill be shot!" yelled the several officers.

Joseph and Karolin dropped their bags as an officer pushed them on to the train with several other people. They were crammed inside, with no room to breathe. Karolin began to cry and Joseph attempted to comfort her once more.

"Ve vill be ok..." he said once again, though with much less confidence.

* * *

For days, they rode in the crowded cattle car with very little food or water. They each had been given only a small canteen of water and a tiny loaf of stale bread to last them 6 days. The train was nothing short of hell for anyone that was in it. It was hot and stuffy with almost no room. People quickly began to get sick, and being a doctor, Joseph could tell that it was from malnutrition.

Nobody on the train knew where they were headed to, but with the current conditions, they thought that it couldn't be anywhere worse.

During the 6 day hell ride, several people fell ill and many others died. The corpses were just left there. There was nowhere to place them so they began to rot in the still crowded car. The smell was awful, but there was no getting away.

Finally, the train began to come to a halt. It screeched to a stop while officers could be heard from outside yelling. The doors were unlocked and flown open with officers yelling and threatening the survivors.

"Everyone out!" they yelled, "Leave the deceased behind! Do not take anything vith you!"

Joseph had already disobeyed that command back at the train station when he smuggled a small vial of his serum that he planned to use if either him or his wife became wounded. Lucky for him, they hadn't searched him so he still held onto the vial.

They were pushed out as the dead were cleared from the cars, carelessly thrown on carts and wheeled away to god knows where. Through the commotion though, Joseph and Karolin soon realized what was happening. The officers were separating people from their families. They had begun separating by age and gender, and Joesph and Karolin knew they were going to be separated. There was no way to escape, but they had to try and stay together. They held on to each other, with their fear increasing as the officers got closer to them.

Two officers finally got to them and began to pull them apart.

"No!" yelled Joseph, "No, please, no!"

"Joseph!" Karolin yelled in desperation.

They were both fighting the officers to be together, pulling every which way to break free. The officers threatened them to stop, but neither listened. As they both fought, Joseph noticed how much Karolin was trying to reach him. She was kicking the officers and even biting them if she got a chance. Karolin wasn't listening to the demands and threats of the officers, but neither was Joseph.

_Bang!_

A gunshot went off and Joseph saw his beloved Karolin fall limp.

"Karolin!" he yelled, as loud as his voice possibly could.

He couldn't believe what these men had just done to his wife. Joseph stopped fighting and allowed himself to be dragged away. He was to much in shock and grief to fight, so he might as well be taken away to hell. As he was being taken away, he saw his wife's limp body lying on the ground, slowly being enveloped by the hysterical crowd.

* * *

"Zhat was the last time I ever saw her, dead and being trampled by zhe crowd..." he said.

There was no emotion but sadness left in his voice. May sat there, respectfully staying quite as he finished up his story. She had done her best not to cry, but some tears managed to fall out. It really was the saddest story she had ever heard. Now she knew why he hadn't wanted to tell her.

"For 3 months I lived in zhat hell hole. I worked, obeyed and survived. Mein serum came in handy a few times vhen I got large cuts from working. It kept infections from developing but it did not satisfy mein hunger that was present the entire time. Eventually zhe camp was liberated by American's and I vas set free to go vhere I vanted. I knew I couldn't stay in Germany any longer. Zhere were to many painful memories, so I hitched a ride to America vith zhe soldiers. I abandoned the past for yet another new life, but I have never forgotten mein Geliebter...Karolin..."

He was about to completely break down in tears, but he wouldn't allow himself to, especially not in front of this young girl.

"I...I never knew...I'm so sorry..." May said with a voice full of pity and sadness.

Once again she was filled with guilt. She caused him to recall those painful memories.

"Nein, it is not your fault." he said, lifting his head up to look at her, "I need to tell someone and being zhat you seem to actually care, I decided zhat you vould be zhe one to tell. I trust you to not tell anyvone?"

"I promise I won't. Cross my heart." she said, motioning her fingers across her heart.

"Danke, May. If you vouldn't mind, but I need some time alone."

"Of course." she said as she stood up from the chair. She walked towards the door and turned around, "If you ever need a consultant just call." she said with the best smile she could produce at the time.

May left the room, leaving the Medic standing there in sadness. He walked over to his desk and pulled on the middle drawer. He lifted a blood stained bone saw out of the drawer and analyzed it with depressing eyes. It recalled so many memories that he wished he could forget.

"Karolin, mein Geliebter, I vill be vith you again someday..."

* * *

**Fun Fact: **

**Artz= doctor**

**Engel= angel**

**Lehmann= serf (I think)**

**Geliebter= beloved (I think)**

**Schatz= sweetheart (again, I think)**


	11. Chapter 11

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Ok, this chapter is complete crap. It's really just filler (I think) and it's pretty boring. Nothing interesting happens. While writing this chapter, I was distracted by Steam, which is probably why it isn't that good.**

**NOTE: Realized that if it skipped from 1968 to 1975, then the characters would have obviously aged, meaning the Scout would not be 23, but would instead be 29 . Unfortunately, this means everyone is older, which I don't know, is kind of odd. They age, but they're physically the same. Eh, let's just go with Valve logic.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Of Banana Peels and Shells**

* * *

As May closed the door to the medical bay, she couldn't help but feel guilty once again. She had caused misery to the Medic once more, by bringing up his unfortunate past. The man's past was such a sad one that May, despite attempting to resist the urge to, couldn't help but cry when she heard it. The man had been tortured his entire life and when he finally got what he desired, it was taken away from him so quickly.

May decided to go check on him later, but for now she would go visit some of the other classes that she had yet to talk to. She walked around the halls, but found them to be deserted, so she figured the best place to go was the rec room. Someone was bound to be there, and luckily someone was.

She entered the room and saw the Scout sitting on the couch comfortably watching TV, invested on whatever was on. May walked over to him and sat down next to him. As she focused on the TV, May figured out what show the Scout was watching so intensely.

"The New Adventures of Gilligan? Seriously? The original show was way better." May said.

"Nu uh, this show is freakin amazing! Gilligan has a monkey sidekick in this! I mean come on a monkey!" he yelled, trying to defend his precious show.

"Whatever, I'm not going to argue with you. Just saying though, you can't beat the original. It's a classic." she said, smiling smugly.

"What the crap do ya want anways?" he asked, annoyed that she was interrupting his show.

"Eh, I just wanted to get to know everyone, well I mean I already know you guys pretty well, but, ah you get the idea."

May leaned back on the couch, lifting her arms above her head to stretch.

"Sure, I'm sure you know lots about me." he said sarcastically

May sighed, "I DO NOT want to go through this game again so I'll just outright tell you everything I know."

Curious, the Scout sat there and looked at her. May took a deep breathe and began to speak.

"Your name is Nathan and you are a 23, wait no...29 year old from Boston who has 7 mad dog brothers and a loving mother. You are obsessed with baseball and act like a narcissist and a complete fool who thinks he's better than everyone else. You use a Scattergun and a bat in battle, while your secondary item is interchangeable between many different weapons such as Bonk, which is also the super sugared up drink that you are addicted to like the Spy is to cigarettes and your mother may or may not be in a relationship with the opposite teams Spy." she said, exhaling sharply, then grinning.

The Scout stood there, mouth wide open. He was bewildered at how much this girl knew about him.

"I could go on even more."

"Bu-Bu-Bu-" he stuttered.

"I told you guys, I know my video games." she said, still grinning in triumph.

The Scout shock his head, attempting to come back to his normal cocky persona.

"Whatever, that was just what everyone knows."

"So you admit your an annoying, little, 'everything is about me' runner, huh?"

"..."

"That's what I thought."

Quickly, the Scout changed the subject.

"So what the hell are video games." he asked curiously.

"Well I can show you much better than I can tell you about."

May reached into her bag and pulled out her 3DS in one hand and a bag full on games in the other.

"What the hell is that?!" the Scout yelled in confusion, pointing at the machine.

"This," she pointed at the system, "Is called a 3DS. It is a portable gaming system that allows you to play these video games," she shook the bag, "which are preloaded onto these cartridges. Being a portable game system means it can be used where ever you want, as long as it doesn't get wet, and as long as the battery is charged.

The Scout stared in awe at the new machine that was being presented and explained it (though roughly) to him.

She opened up the system and handed it to the Scout.

"Do. Not. Break. It." she said sternly.

The Scout nodded, complying to her demand.

"Alright, let's use some DS games. Not dealing with the 3D. It would blow his mind even more." she muttered as she shuffled through her bag of games.

May found the one she was looking for and popped it into the system. She briefly took the system from the Scout to show him what each button did.

"OK, each button is programmed for a certain action that depends on the game. Here's the power button, but don't touch it or you'll turn the system off. Alright, let's start of with a simple game called Mariokart."

The Scout was still staring in awe as the game began to boot up, showing the title screen. May knew she wasn't even going to bother telling him about the touch screen because that would require even more explaining.

"OK that plus shaped button is called a D-pad. It allows you to move or select things but now, since you are in a menu, it allows you to highlight what option you want to select, while the A button selects whatever is highlighted. Get it?"

"I think so...like this?" he said, lightly pressing the D-pad so it highlighted 'Time Trials.'

"Yup, now just tap A to select it."

The Scout looked down at the game pad, still unsure of the layout and overall system. He pressed the button, causing the character select screen to activate.

"Alright, with what I have told you, use the D-pad once again to chose what character you would like to play as. Whoever you choose is who you will control."

"Sweet." he said with a smile on his face.

"Oh man this guy looks freakin cool! Ima choose him!" he said, picking the spiked turtle.

"Good now, let me just pick the course." she said as she grabbed the system from his hand, choosing the easiest track in the game, Baby Park.

"Aw man, I wanted to pick!" he whined.

"Trust me I know which one you would have picked and it wouldn't have ended well. I chose the easiest track, so that you could practice. Once you get familiar with the controls, I'll let you choose your own track."

The race started up, but the Scout didn't know what to do. As the game had told him to go, the Scout noticed something.

"Hey why aren't there any racers? This is a racing game ain't it?!"

"Yeah but your on Time Trial mode meaning it's just a 'see how fast you can finish' race. I have to teach you controls first."

"Fine..." he said in disappointment.

"OK, so if you want to make you character go then hold A down. To turn him left and right, use the D-pad by pressing left and right, respectively."

The Scout began to move the character, squealing in excitement.

"Hey, I'm doin it!"

"Good, now try to complete a lap around the track."

He did so, without once hitting a wall, effectively impressing May.

'Your doing great Scout. Just practice the controls a few more times."

Oddly enough, the Scout didn't complain about having to drive around such a bland track so many times, In fact he was excited to do so. Personally May would have easily gotten bored of it, but seeing as how the Scout had never encountered a video game before, it was understandable.

"OK, ready for a race?" she questioned him.

"Aw, hell yeah!" he yelled confidently.

"Alright, you understand how to work the menu's correct?"

"Yeah, yeah..." he said, bored that he wasn't racing right now.

"And you can control the character when racing?"

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" he screamed.

"Fine, fine, just let me get back to the menu."

She navigated to the Grand Prix and chose the easiest difficulty on the easiest set of tracks.

"You got it from here, Scout?"

"Yeah, yeah I got it, I got it, I got it." he said confident in his newly acquired skills.

"OK, well I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go talk with the others. If you need me just come and find me, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever." he said, not paying attention to anything, but the track.

May left him on the couch just like when she had entered, though this time with a new form of entertainment.

* * *

She wandered, again, through the corridors slightly worrying that the Scout would do something stupid and break her 3DS. May looked at every door, hoping to find one that was not a bed room. Eventually she came across a door that was labeled 'Training Room' and opened it up.

The room was like a mixture between a gymnasium and a work out room. It was as big and tall as a gymnasium but there were various equipment such as weights and treadmills scattered throughout. It seemed like no one put the equipment back in the right place, seeing as how the randomly placed equipment was just thrown carelessly on the floor. She even spotted a pair of weights, one of which was near the rack while the other was across the room, sitting next to a chair.

May looked around the room, but saw not a soul around. She was about walk out and search else where when she heard the sound of someone grunting. It sounded like they were doing something that required a lot of physical prowess. She followed the sound to the corner of the training room where a makeshift boxing bag and hook had been constructed. The man producing the sounds had been boxing away at a bag that was in such bad shape, that it could burst open any second now.

He was beginning to grunt even harder as he punched the bag with more and more ferocity. The bag began to bend at the sheer force of the impact. If it had been a real person then their ribs would have been crushed instantly. With a grunt and an uppercut, the punching bag went flying off the hook and up into the air. May watched as it began to fall towards her.

"Ahhh!" she screamed as she jump rolled out of the way.

Panting, she was greeted by the man who had almost killed her with a punching bag.

"What Is leetle girl doing in gym. Is no place for someone so fragile." the Russian said, cold heartily.

"I, Uh I was just looking for someone to talk to. Wanted to get to know you guys better." she said, slightly scared at the giant man that stood before her.

"Well you should not be here. This is no place for leetle girl. You are to weak." he said as he put the bag back on the hook.

"Hey I'm not weak," she said with anger, "I'm just young! Besides who said I was weak? Sure I might not be the strongest, but at least I'm good at dodging, like you saw a second ago."

"That does not get you anywhere in battle, just like Scout. All he does is run away with only a baby gun."

"But that's his strength and he does it well. He is the one who captures points and steals the intelligence most of the time, right?"

"Da, but leetle Scout has no power. Running is for leetle baby cowards."

May stood there staring the Heavy down, because of her disagreement with his logic. Power didn't matter in battle if it wasn't your strength. What did matter was what skill you brought to the battlefield. If the Scout was good at running and capturing the intelligence then he should continue what he was doing. He was the speedster of the group and was meant to run.

"So...if running if for cowards, then what do you do if Sasha has run out of bullets and you are facing a Pyro with very little health left? Do you just face it and die or do you run away in an attempt to save your life."

"..."

"That's what I thought."

"You defend leetle Scout and you say you do not have much power, da?"

"Yeah, why?" she said, wondering where he was going with that.

"Must mean you to are like leetle Scout. Fast runner and leetle strength must make you a Scout class, da?"

"I have never been a runner. Really, I'm actually terrible at running, but swimming on the other hand is a different story." she said, smiling.

"So, you are swimmer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, can't run for crap, but I could swim forever. Unfortunately, it does me no good here...or anywhere else."

The Heavy laughed, "Da, is true."

"So, about Sasha."

"What about her?" he asked, curious at what the girl was wanting to know.

"Does she really cost 400,000 dollars to fire her for 12 seconds?" she asked with curiosity.

"Da." he said proudly.

"How on earth do you afford that?!"

"I do not pay for Sasha's bullets, RED does."

"Well, that kind of explains it."

"So, what does leetle girl want?" he asked.

"I told you I was just wanting to talk to everyone." she said slightly annoyed at already telling him.

The Heavy sighed, obviously not in the mood for talking, but decided to play along. Maybe something interesting would come out of this conversation.

"Fine, what does leetle girl want to talk about?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Eh, I got nothing unless you have anything."

"Nyet. I want to go back to training, but you are here." he said, full out annoyed this time.

"Well, maybe I could train with you." she said, hoping to convince him.

"Nyet, to hard for leetle girl."

"Oh come on, give me a chance." she said, pleading.

The Heavy stood there, pondering the current choice at hand. He could either let this girl try and train with him or he could refuse and possibly have her beg him until he cracked.

"Fine, but leetle girl must promise not to cry like baby." he said, sternly.

"Promise." she said, holding her hand up.

The Heavy walked over to a weightlifting set and began collecting weights. He walked all over and grabbed every weight he could and placed them on the bar. The weight was so intense that the bar actually began to bend slightly. Once he was satisfied with the immense weight, he sat down and began to bench press. He bench pressed 10 times, then stopped and gestured over to May to take his place.

"You want me to lift that?! Are you insane?! How much does that thing weigh?!" she said, panicking that she would have to lift it.

"Only 350 pounds, not hard."

"That's 3 times my body weight! There is no way I could lift that!"

"Leetle girl said she would not cry, now come." he said, commanding her to do so.

Scared to incur the Russian's wrath, she obeyed, shuffling over to the bench and lying down, waiting for pain.

"Ok, I will lift up, then leetle girl take hold and I let go, da?" he said, not really caring.

"I, uh, I really don't think I can do this." she said, sweat beginning to fall down her face.

The Heavy ignored her and placed his hands on the bar.

"Odin, dva, t-"

His counting was interrupted by someone yelling.

"Hey kid!"

It was the Scout running across the gym with May's 3DS in his flailing hand.

"Oh thank god..." she muttered

"Kid!" he yelled once more.

"I have a name you know." she said as she got up from the bench, determined to get away from the Heavy and his crazy heavy weight.

"Yeah, yeah I know."

"Then what is it?" she asked, not confident in the Scout's response.

"It's...uh... never mind this is important." he said, pointing to the game in his hand.

"I won't help you until you learn my name and promise to call me by it." she said, staring at him with her arms crossed.

"Fine, what is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"It's May, now what do you want."

"These guys are cheatin! I'm getting hit with banana peels, shells and other crazy crap!"

"Oh that's normal. Here let's go back to the rec room and I'll explain."

She turned toward the Heavy.

"I'll, uh, catch you later. We'll train some other time." she said nervously.

May definitely didn't want to come back after he had almost crushed her, but she had to say something to the big guy.

"Da." he simply said before quickly going back to his bench presses.

* * *

May and The Scout walked back into the rec room together. Ok well it was more of the Scout running into the room, yelling back to her to hurry up, and then May walking into the rec room.

"Now like I said, these guys are cheatin!"

"Nah, that's just normal. You know those floating boxes with question marks?"

"Yeah aren't they obstacles? I been avoidin 'em!"

May quickly face palmed, sighed, then began to explain once more how the game worked to the Scout.

"No, those are called item boxes. If you run into one a box in the corner will appear and in a few seconds you will get an item that you can use by pressing the Y button. Different items do different things like shells shoot out in front of you while banana's drop behind you. Got it?" she said, annoyed at having to explain something that was so simple to her.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks May." he said with a smile.

'Your welcome, now I'll be off again, just find me if you need me again." she said, returning his smile.

Once again May walked off, leaving the Scout behind in search of the last 3 remaining people that she had yet to talk too.

* * *

**Fun Fact: Originally I was going to have the Soldier be the one in the gym, boxing. The scene would have been harsher with the Soldier being himself and yelling a lot, but the Heavy boxing made more sense.**


	12. Chapter 12

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Had to force myself to write this and was distracted by Steam while I was, so it's not the best chapter...**

**With the Soldier and Demoman though, I tried to take a different route with their...personalities? God these accents are so inconsistent...**

**Again, don't pay attention to the chapter's name.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: 2 Men and a Mute**

* * *

Heading back to the gym was the last thing May wanted to do. Instead she decided to look around once more, in hopes of finding someone. For a while she just was looking for either the Soldier Demoman or Pyro, but after a few minutes of aimless searching, anyone would have been good.

'Well I'm sure the Sniper is back at his van by now and I probably shouldn't bother the Medic quite yet, so I think I'll see what the Sniper is up to.' she thought.

Remembering the path, May walked back towards the door that led outside. She was about to reach the door when she heard a loud crash. The noise made her jump and she looked around, trying to determine where the crash might have come from. Someone was cursing profusely behind a wall. She looked along the doors and heard the noise coming from behind a door with a rocket symbol on it.

'Of course...' she thought.

May walked towards the door and gently knocked on it.

"Hello? Are you alright?" she asked, with a hint of concern.

The cursing stopped, and May heard loud footsteps stomping towards the door. It flew open, revealing a scowling Soldier.

"I do not have time for you maggot!" he yelled, with anger.

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were OK. I heard you yelling an-"

"I am fine, maggot! Now leave! You are of no help around here! Actually, you can be! Go make me a sandwich, Nancy!" he yelled, disrespectfully.

"What did you just say?!" May screamed with anger.

He had brought up that terrible 'joke' and assumed that all she could do was cook. May never enjoyed that stereotype, because it angered her to no end. She wasn't a 'typical' girl that was useless in battle (or at least she thought she wasn't). She didn't do any of those things (ok well maybe cook every now and then).

"Do not talk back to me! You belong in the kitchen, girly! Not in war!"

"Oh no I don't! I'm just as well off as you are out in battle!" she said, her nerves getting pushed further and further.

May never really liked the Soldier's rude personality. He was a crazy, psychopathic man who loved his country way too much.

"The hell you are not, girly! War is for men and you are clearly not a man! No get the hell back into the kitchen, woman!"

That's it, he snapped a nerve. Calling her woman was the last straw. May leaned forward and pushed all of her body's weight into a swift punch that connected with the Soldier's gut. He lurched forward from the surprising force the punch had. the Soldier had not expected the girl to be so strong.

"Don't you ever call me woman, you fake ass soldier." she yelled in anger, as adrenaline pumped through her.

Punching the Soldier had felt good, really good. May had always restrained her self when she felt the need to punch anyone that angered her, due to her inability to break rules, but now, there weren't any. There weren't any rules in war.

The Soldier quickly recovered from the punch she had delivered, and responded to her comment.

"Fake? Fake?! I am a Soldier, not some pussy who ran away from war, like the Canadian grease monkey!"

"You made fake Medals! You went on a Nazi Killing spree AFTER the War had ended! You were rejected from the army and your insane!" May blurted out.

She had no control of her self at the moment. Anything that came to her mind was projected through her mouth within a second of thinking of it. She looked at him straight in the eye, filled with anger and satisfaction.

The Soldier stood there in disbelief at what she had said. He thought she had no right to talk back to him, let alone talk about his life that he kept a secret from everyone he knew. Anyone he ever talked to, he told them that he had been a war hero and was sent off on special missions that involved killing hordes of Nazi's. Only he knew the truth. He was even aware of his own insanity, but he chose too ignore it, convincing himself that he was sane.

Just as his words had set her off, her words were his last straw. Angry, that the truth had been told from behind the lips of another, he stormed back into his room and disappeared for a brief second. Confused as to why he walked away, May just stood there waiting for him to return.

'Why the hell am I waiting for this lunatic?' she thought.

He came back, wielding his beloved Rocket Launcher, pointing it straight at May. In shock, she just stood there frozen, staring at him. She couldn't believe that he was stupid enough to kill her. Well on second thought, she knew he was.

"This'll teach you to talk back to me, maggot!"

"WAIT! OH GOD DON'T SHOOT!" she screamed, at the top of her lungs.

She cowered in fear with the arms hopelessly shielding her face, bracing for the pain.

"Aye! Wot's with the yelling?" a confused voice called out.

May peaked from behind her arms, down the hall, and saw the Demoman standing there, confused, with his scrumpy firmly grasped in his hand. As the Demoman analyzed the scene, he quickly realized what the Soldier was about to do.

He sprinted down the hall yelling, "Aye! Don't shoot the lass!"

Surprised, the Soldier backed away from May, knowing full well what the Demoman was capable of. Though he loved his rocket launcher and knew how to handle the explosion radius of it, he knew that the Demoman was an expert in explosives and could always get back at him in creatively painful ways.

He reached the two, pulling May into his arms in an attempt to protect her.

"This is not your fight, Cyclops!" he said, menacingly.

"Aye, but I can intervene. You have no right to hurt her. Besides, I do not think she would respawn." he said, defending May.

"Wait, you guys respawn?" she said, confused.

"Aye, but you are not connected, so you would stay dead."

Realizing her morality, May responded, "Oh..."

The Soldier, just realizing that if she died, she was dead for good, lowered his weapon. He wouldn't have cared if she would have come back to life, but now knowing that he would have actually killed a girl, brought guilt upon him. He knew he had no right in killing the innocent.

"Sorry, I didn't know...but watch your tone with me girly!" he said, in a somewhat appologetic tone.

May, recovering from realization, responded softly but harshly, "It's fine, but don't call me woman again, or use stereotypes."

Before the Soldier could talk again, the Demoman interrupted.

"Lass, why don't we go somewhere else? Let Solly cool down. That ok?"

"Yea, lets go."

They turned away, heading in the direction that the Demoman had come from. The Soldier, baffled by what had just happened, shut his door without another word.

* * *

May followed the Demoman back to the Rec room, where she saw the Scout still sitting on the couch, hypnotized by the game. May knew that he was too busy to even notice them or ask her any questions, so she went to a table that was sitting in the corner. Cards were laying, messily on the table and she figured that a game of poker must have been played here recently. She sat down in one of the four chairs, while the Demoman sat on the chair opposing her.

"So, I see you've met ol' Solly, but we haven't really met yet, name's Tavish Degroot." he said, holding his hand out for a hand shake.

May promptly grabbed it, shaking it firmly.

"May, May Flowers." she said with a smile spreading across her face.

"So from wot I've been told, you seem to already know about us."

"Yup, It's kind of like I've already met you guys, but until now I haven't."

"Honestly, It's spooky." he said.

"Yeah it kind of is." she said, staring at the bottle that he had placed on the table.

The Demoman noticed her eyes and asked, "Wot are ye staring at, lass"

"Just something I've always wondered..." she said, trailing off into her thoughts as she continued to stare at the bottle.

Confused, with a raised eyebrow, the Demoman realized what she might have been wondering about.

"Ye think I'm a drunk don't ye?"

"I-uh, yes." she said, hoping she hadn't said the wrong thing.

"Don't worry, lass, I'm not drunk, at least not now." he said, looking over at the Scout.

"Why'd you look over to the Scout just now?" she asked.

Tavish leaned forward and began to quietly talk to May.

"Between you and me, I keep up the act that I'm always drunk just so nobody will bother me."

"Wait, so your never actually dr-"

She was interrupted by the Demoman, quickly slapping his hand on her mouth to keep her from talking out loud.

"Aye, I just fool my teammates into thinkin I am." he said quietly.

She pushed his hand away, getting the message to keep it quiet.

"Why?"

"Because, acting like a drunken idiot keeps people away."

"Why would you want people to stay away from you?"

"I got my reasons." he said, becoming annoyed.

May decided that it would be best to stop asking why, so she changed to another topic.

"So, have you run into your eye?"

"Wot?" he replied in confusion.

"You know, your eye was cursed by the Bombinomicon and was made into the creature known as Monoculus."

"Right! We have to fight It and that devil every Halloween. Makes me tear up having to fight me own eye..." he said, sadly.

"Yeah, that must suck."

"I'll tell ye what though, Joseph once tried to trade me eye for a heart in an attempt to get it back. Needless to say it ended up in an explosion." he said, laughing.

"Thought you guys weren't suppose to talk using each other's real names?" she asked.

"Aye, but the only ones who really care are ol' Dell. We tend to call each other by both out titles and real names." he answered

"Oh ok."

Having nothing else to say, the two of them sat there for a few awkward minutes until Tavish decided to finally speak up.

"Well, it's been nice talking with ye, but I have to go finish up some mixtures of mine." he said, standing up and collecting his bottle from the table.

"Alright, see you around Demo." May said.

"Call me Tavish, lass." he said, walking away from the table and out the rec room.

"Ok!" she called.

Being that she was left alone (the Scout was to involved in the game) May decided to move the couch for more comfort. She sat down next to the Scout, who, as she knew, didn't respond to anything but the screen. Knowing that there was no conversation to be had, May pulled out a pair of headphones and an iPod. As she connected the two and put the headphones into her ears, May half expected the Scout to come out of his trance and ask questions as to what she was using. She sat back, relaxed, and listened to the sweet sounds of the Zelda Symphony.

Soon, she fell asleep to the soft orchestral music that was playing into her ears.

* * *

Groggily, she woke up, not wanting to open her eyes. She re-positioned herself, only to feel something that was out in front of her. Still tired, May curiously opened her eyes, only to see the Pyro staring straight at her.

"Agh!" she jumped in surprise.

"Oh sorry Pyro, you scared me." she said, expecting a response.

"Oh right, I forgot you don't talk much."

The Pyro just continued to stand there, Staring straight at her. May couldn't see his eyes but she assumed that behind the mask, his eyes were staring straight in hers. Feeling a bit scared, May looked over to the Scout to see if he could get her out of this situation, but he was still oblivious to everything going on around him.

'Damn it Scout...' she thought, looking back up to the Pyro.

"Uh, hi there. I'm May, nice to meet you." she said, extending her arm out as a sign of courtesy.

The Pyro merely looked down a the hand and May realized that she would not be getting a handshake, so she pulled her hand back to her side.

"Uh, is there anything you wanted?" she nervously asked.

May analyzed the Pyro that stood before her and stopped when she got to his 'eyes.' The mask's eyes were familiar to her and she saw a colorful reflection that bounced of the goggles faintly. She realized that it must mean one thing.

"Oh, your in Pyroland aren't you?" she said, not expecting an answer, " I wonder what I look like to you."

The Pyro stood there for a few more seconds before abrupptly walking out the door to the hallway.

"Uh, bye to you to?" she called out.

"That was really strange..." she muttered.

Once again, May looked over to the Scout only to see that he was still in a trance over the marvel that she had introduced him to.

"I never should have introduced him to video games." she muttered, as she got up of the couch.

Stretching, May had completed what she had set out to do but realized that she had nothing left to do. Thinking, she figured that she might as well go check on the Engineer's progress seeing as how it had been a while since he set of to work with technology she was unfamiliar with.

She stored away her iPod and set off for the workshop.

* * *

**Fun fact: **

**May's bag holds anything she could ever need or want to carry around with her. The contents (aside from what has been told) are up to you to decide, though a majority is probably pretty obvious.**


	13. Chapter 13

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Nanananananananana FILLER!**

**Yeah, so once again was busy and distracted but this time with Arkham City. Man I should have played that sooner...anyway, yeah it's really more filler. Hopefully the next chapter will be more interesting seeing as how it's time for reactions.**

**This chapter had some pointless add ins but, what can you do?**

**ZZK: Yup, I think I actually forgot to type his username in when I mentioned that fact...he's my favorite youtuber and has been for a few years (since mario sunshine I believe). I was so lucky to meet him at the Zelda Symphony this summer. He's such a nice guy to put up with my excitement.**

**P.S. There's a few refernces in here. See if you can find them all.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: STTEEAAAAKK!**

* * *

"Come in!" the Engineer yelled, responding to a light knock that had come from the workshop's door.

The door creaked open and the Engineer looked up from the machine he was working on and turned around. He saw May standing in the door way and greeted her.

"Howdy, May. How was the rest of the team?"

"Well..."

"What happened?"

"I fail at aiming, I got the Scout addicted to video games, the Heavy almost crushed me with a punching bag and a 300 some pound weight, and to top it all off the Soldier almost shot a rocket in my face."

"Sounds like you had a bit of a rough time."

"Eh, it was fine for the most part. I enjoyed spending time with the Medic and the Sniper."

May knew she wasn't about to tell him about what had happened with the Medic. It would have broken her promise and that information wasn't for the Engineer to know.

"Well that's nice." he said, going back to tinkering.

"So how's the conversion thing going?" she asked curious.

"I'm havin a bit of a tough time cause I'm learnin this new technology at the same time. This stuff is fascinating. We wouldn't have anything close to this in decades." he said with amazement, staring at the 'marvelous' device that he held in his hand.

"Wait, wait, wait...you're telling me that you people can build a Sentry that can differentiate people, a cloaking device that makes you completely invisible, and a teleporter, but you can't create a phone that's basically a computer?!" she said, aghast.

"Nope, apparently not, though I may try to replicate it if that's OK with you."

"I don't care. It's not like the company that makes it exists here. So, how long do you think it'll be till you finish it?"

"Eh, maybe another hour. Once I completely figure out how it works, I'll be able to easily create a wire that transmits the video feed from this phone to the TV." he said, jotting something down on some blueprints.

"Hehe, reminds me of Let's Play's for some reason." she muttered.

"What?" the Engineer asked in curiosity.

"Nothing, just thinking to my self."

"Alright, hey why don't you head on over to the 'kitchen' and grab a bite to eat? I'm sure your hungry."

"Yeah, I haven't eaten anything all day. Alright I'll see you soon Engie." she said, waving goodbye.

"See ya, May." he said, waving back as he continued to tinker.

* * *

"Oh come on, there's nothing good in here." May said as she searched through the refrigerator.

All that was in there was beer, Bonk! Atomic Punch: Cherry Fusion (Which May was curious to try), a sandwich, a chocolate bar, a what appeared to be fish cake, and some rotten leftovers that really should have been thrown out a long time ago. May figured that the sandwich, chocolate, and fish cake were all the Heavy's and promptly marked them as do not touch, because incurring the Heavy's rage was not on her list of things to do. The leftovers and beer were automatically out, while the Bonk was peaking her curiosity. She always wondered what it tasted like, so May grabbed a can, assuming the Scout was to preoccupied with her game, and sat it out on the counter while she searched the freezer.

Not much was in there, except some ice cream and some frozen steaks. May first checked the ice cream, and, too no surprise, it was entirely inedible. Not only was the entire thing frozen on the inside, but the contents were a very suspicious looking brown. May knew that it wasn't chocolate because the container had clearly been labeled 'Vanilla.'

'Must be the Soldiers.' she thought in disgust.

The steaks were tempting her to much. It was the best food item in this entire room and it just looked so appetizing, despite being frozen.

'Maybe the Heavy would be to preoccupied with his sandviches to notice a missing steak...' she thought.

After a moment of thinking, May finally decided to just get one out and quickly eat it. She reached in and grabbed the frozen steak and began to search for a frying pan. Finding no pots or pans anywhere, she had no means of cooking the steak.

'Well crap I'm out of options, unless...nah that wouldn't ever work.' she thought, throwing that idea out the window. 'What else can I do?'

May stood there staring at the steak that she had been holding in her hand when she suddenly heard a booming voice.

"What is leetle girl doing with my food?" he asked, in a commanding voice.

Startled, May dropped the steak, swiftly turning around to see the hulking Russian standing menacingly before her.

"I, uh, I was just hungry and, uh, I didn't think this would matter as much as your sandwiches." she said nervously.

"Da, I do like sandviches, but no one touches my food." he said, snarling at May.

"Sorry, sorry sorry!" she yelped, afraid of what he might do.

Seeing that he scared the little girl, the Heavy changed his face to one that showed a hint of sorrow.

"Leetle girl did not know, so will not be punished. You can have it, just this once."

"Really?" she said, shocked.

"Da."

"Well thank you so much, but there doesn't seem to be any pans around here."

"Pans? Oh pans. We use those as weapons. Make excellent weapons." he said.

"Right...well do you know where one is?"

"I think Demoman might have one. I'll go check." he said, walking out of the room.

May stood there, waiting for the Heavy to return with something to cook with. She was surprised that the Heavy didn't lash out on her as much as she thought he would. For a few minutes she waited, standing there as random thoughts went through her mind.

"Where's all the good food in this place? I wonder if the Pyro ever eats his axe thinking if it's a lollipop. Where does the Heavy get all this food from in battle?"

Her think was interrupted by heavy footsteps coming from the corridor. The Heavy appeared holding a badly beaten frying pan.

"Found this in Demoman's room. He should not mind it being borrowed by leetle girl."

The pan was almost completely unusable. It's handle was bent and one side of it was completely bent at a 90 degree angle. Blood splatters coated the pan, leading May to believe that it was often used in battle. At least it was a step up from a glass bottle.

"Uh, thanks." she said, grabbing the pan cautiously.

"I will return to training. Remember, leetle girl still needs to come back to training."

"Don't worry I'll, uh, come back...eventually."

The Heavy looked at her, knowing she was lying and promptly walked out of the room, back to the gym.

"Holy crap, how on earth do I fix this thing?!" she muttered.

There was no way May could have bent it back into it's proper shape, but she could at least clean it.

She stood there, hunched over the sink for what seemed like eternity, scrubbing the stains out of the pan. Some came out with ease, but most refused to be lifted from the pan.

'Oh my god, that's it, I'm done. I'm cooking with it like this.' she thought, turning the water off.

May figured that with how long she attempted to clean it, the pan must have been clean even if the stains were still lingering. By now the steak had thawed for the most part, making it easier to cook.

"OK, I highly doubt there are any spices around, but maybe there's some salt."

She opened every cabinet in the 'kitchen' and searched for any spice, powder or anything that would give it flavor. Frustrated with the outcome, May headed over to the stove and placed the pan on one of the units, turning the heat up to high.

"What are you cooking ma cheri?" asked a french voice.

Slightly startled, May turned around, "Oh hey Spy. Just trying to find some spices to cook this steak with. Can't seem to find anything, not even salt."

"Is zhat one of zhe Heavy's steaks?" he said, looking at the slab of meat with confusion.

"Yeah, he let me eat it...after he caught me 'stealing' it in the first place." she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, you said you were looking for something to flavor it with, non?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say it that way. Why?"

"I 'appen to 'ave a collection of various 'erbs and spices zhat I keep in my room. Zhe imbeciles here would use zhem for terrible zhings if zhey were left out 'ere. I would gladly offer them to you mademoiselle."

"Oh thanks, I just need some basics like salt and pepper. I don't want to use up your stuff."

"Non, use as much as you want," he said, eyeing the battered pan that lay on the stove, "and I will find you a more suitable pan."

"Hehe, thanks Spy. I think this belongs to the Demoman. I'll go return it."

"Non, I will return it. Go wait outside the door to my room. I will be there shortly."

The Spy walked out of the room with the frying pan, looking at it with disgust as to how badly treated it was. May briefly returned to the oven to turn it off and left the Steak on the counter as she headed out for the Spy's room.

She stood there for a few minutes, waiting and assuming that she would not be allowed in seeing as how it's the Spy's room. May always figured that it would be yet another mystery of the Spy, seeing as how he is, well, the Spy. She knew he had to be secretive and knew that anything that related to any private life (if he even had one) would be kept top secret.

Eventually, the Spy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Bonjour, madmosielle. As you may know by know, I am a man of secrecy. Being as 'ow I am, I must keep my self a secret meaning th-"

"Yeah I know I can't go into your room. Your a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled in intrigue, express ma- sorry I'm rambling."

Though puzzled by what she had just said, the Spy ignored it and continued talking.

"Yes, well as long as you tell me what you need I can see if I have it."

"OK, thanks again."

* * *

'Mmm...that was delicious. Thank god for the Spy.' May thought, as she finally finished eating, "Oh man, I forgot about the Bonk. guess I'll just try it later."

With what the Spy had, May was able to create a surprisingly delicious steak. He had even suggested some herbs which seemed to go nicely with the ones she had picked out. May got up and went to put her dish (the only one she could find) into the sink, so she could begin washing it and the fresh pan that the Spy had let her borrow. According to him, each mercenary was given a pan that they were to use in battle, but seeing as how, for a Spy, that wasn't a practical weapon, he instead stored it away for when he needed to use it for its original intended purpose.

Since the Spy had been so kind to let her borrow a normal pan, she figured she should wash it as a sign of courtesy. As she was washing it, she heard someone approaching the rec room.

"Ah, May there you are. I've completed the cable to project the screen onto the TV. When ever your ready we can get started and see those video's."

There was a hint of fear in his voice as he spoke the last sentence. Perhaps he was scared to see how everyone was portrayed, for the fact that they could be eerily similar.

Laying down the dishes in the sink, May turned around and replied to him.

"OK, well might as well do it now. Go tell everyone to meet here in 5 minutes. Since it's just a cable, I think I can set it up. Besides, you don't know where the videos are located."

"Alright missy, I'll get right on it." he said, handing the cable and phone to May and leaving the room.

She headed over to the retro looking television that was quite old looking in her eyes. It seemed to be one of those huge wooden box TV's that were earlier models in the 60's.

"To bad there's no HDTV's here..." she muttered as she began to analyze the TV.

She found one outlet that must have been the right one, and plugged the cable into it. May snapped the other end into her phone and turned the TV on. Slowly, it turned on to what the Scout had previously been watching. Realizing she had no idea how to get the video to actually show, May began to fiddle with every knob that she could see. Eventually she managed to turn it to a black screen that quickly flickered to the image that was currently showing on her phone.

"Yes!"

"That's what I'm talking about!"

The voice startled her and she quickly turned around, only to see a happy Scout.

"Oh man, I forgot that the Scout was still in here. Might as well go talk to him."

She stood up and walked over to the Scout who, still, was paying attention only to the game.

"Hey, Scout?"

No reply.

"Scout!"

Still no reply.

Getting frustrated, May grabbed the 3DS from the Scout's hand and closed it, promptly putting it back into her bag.

"What the crap was that for?!" he asked angrily, "I was doin amazin!"

"Oh, don't worry it's still going. Just in sleep mode. Listen everyone's about to come here to watch the video's that were made of you guys, so get ready I guess."

"Who cares, I just wanna beat everyone some more." he said, grabbing for the bag, only to have his hand slapped back.

"You can play later, but right now-" she paused for a second to think of the right thing to say, "don't you want to see how awesome you are?" she said grinning.

She knew saying that would catch the Scout's attention and she was right.

"Ohh yeah! Let's see the force-a-nature standin right before ya!"

She laughed, "Ok, ok calm down. We gotta wait till everyone arrives before you can see it."

"Aw..." he whined in disappointment.

Slowly, within the next few minutes, the rest of the team began to trickle in. they all stood, crowded, around the small television, conversing about what their video might be like. From the voices May heard, a few seemed to be scared that some secret would be revealed while others were hoping it was something awesome.

"Alright, guys." May said, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Let's get started. I will show you the video's in order of when they were released, so that means the Heavy's up first."

The Scout let out a small whine, that May ignored. She navigated her phone to where the video's had been saved and clicked on the 'Meet the Heavy' icon and waited for it to load.

Everyone sat there with their complete attention on the screen, waiting for the show to begin.

* * *

**OK**** I know nothing about what goes well spice wise with meat which is why I didn't mention a single spice, and also I know nothing about early 70's/60's televisions OR how to transfer video feed. I just winged it all.**

**Fun Fact: **

**What else is in the refrigerator? Well, each class has at least one thing like the Demoman and Engineer have their scrumpy and beer, the Medic, occasionally has some organs and medicines stored there when the medical bay's refrigerator is full, The Heavy's were stated in this chapter as well as the Scout's and Soldier's, the Spy keeps everything in his room except for an occasional miscellaneous item, the Sniper...well sometimes he keeps jarate and sometimes it's some homemade sweets that were sent from his mother or some animal that he had recently hunted, and finally the Pyro...well...sometimes his ax is found sitting in there, presumably because he thinks it's a lollipop. Why you would store a lollipop in a fridge I have no idea.**


	14. Chapter 14

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: Man this one went on forever. It just contains (mostly) pointless descriptions of the Meet the Team videos. Definitely like this one better than the past few chapters, but I guess it could be boring because it is just describing the video's, albeit with reactions.**

**Decided to leave out meet the Sandvich because it didn't really pertain to the specific classes. It just had the dialogue of a fight between the Scout, Soldier and Heavy. **

**I used the video transcripts heavily when writing this, so that might be why their accents seem to be missing. I was lazy and didn't want to write in their dialogue.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Meet the Team**

* * *

_She weighs one hundred fifty kilograms and fires two hundred dollar, custom-tooled cartridges at ten thousand rounds per minute. It cost four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon for twelve seconds._

"Da, is true." the Heavy said, smiling proudly of what was said in the video.

The video cut to the Heavy rotating the barrel of his mini-gun, inspecting it. A shocked look appeared on the Heavy's face.

_Oh my god, who touched Sasha? Who touched my gun!_

The Heavy's once proud smile quickly turned to that of a frown as he recalled a distasteful memory.

"Leetle baby Scout was the one who touched Sasha. Taught him lesson."

The Scout, on the other end of the mercenaries, looked guilty and scared as he remembered the painful beating the Heavy gave him the following evening.

"Yeah, I definitely learned not to touch Sasha after that." he grinned, "Right after I took her out for a steak dinner."

"Only I can take Sasha out for dinner!" yelled the hulking Russian.

The Heavy lunged for the Scout, only to smash into the Engineer that was attempting to stop a fight before it happened. The force the Russian produced, knocked the Texan clean off his feet, sending him sliding back a few feet. Rubbing his throbbing chest, the Engineer got up and walked between the two.

"Now, fellas, now is not the time to fight. Let's get this over with. I'm sure some of us are waiting for to see our video. Ya'll made us miss the rest of the video anyways, and were not rewinding." the Engineer said, waving a finger in disapproval at their actions.

"All that was left was the Heavy saying how no one can outsmart a bullet and then him standing on a hill shooting down BLU's." May said.

"But, that was best part. Shooting down baby BLU's." the Heavy said in disappointment.

"Don't worry, Heavy, I'll show you the rest some other time. Now though, I believe the Soldier is next."

She scrolled through the playlist on her phone and tapped on the 'Meet the Soldier' video. The television screen showed the same images as the phone connected to it and currently showed the beginning of the video. A BLU Pyro was standing on a pile of crates firing his flamethrower at the screen. He soon shut off the flamethrower, raised it above his head laughing and was soon blown up by a rocket that entered from the right side of the screen. Next, a drinking Demoman was blasted into pieces by another rocket, and then a Heavy taunting at the screen before it finally turned to the title card that said 'Meet the Soldier.'

"Hehe..." the American muttered.

_If fighting is to result in victory then you must fight! Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a little more about fighting than you do, pal, because he invented it, and then he perfected it so that no living man could best him in the ring of honor._

"Couldn't have said it any better!" the Soldier shouted.

The video cut to an action scene, highlighting the Soldier's best moments on the battlefield. After a few seconds, it cut back to The Soldier, who was talking to what seemed like people.

_Then, he used his fight money to buy two of every animal on earth, and then he herded them onto a boat and then he beat the crap out of every single one!_

The video once again cut back to the fight, showing the Soldier blowing up a Sentry.

"Hehe, that'll teach the grease monkey." he mumbled under his breath.

The virtual soldier landed on the capture point, right after gibbing a Heavy and Pyro, as a Spy uncloaked, about to backstab him. The Soldier rummaged around his bag and quickly pulled out his collapsing shovel, swinging it swiftly around. The shovel made contact with the Spy's face as the video freeze framed on the Spy spurting out blood from where the Shovel had hit him in the face.

_And from that day forward any time a bunch of animals are together in one place it's called a zoo!_

The camera changed angles to show that the Soldier had been talking to a bunch of severed heads perched on a wooden fence. The rest of the team looked in disgust of the video, as the Soldier smiled proudly at the computerized version of himself and his precious heads.

The severed medic head slid off the fence and the video changed to the End card that played with the theme song, zooming out of the Soldier and onto the rest of the team.

_Unless it's a farm!_

The video cut off, and the Soldier stood there still smiling at his video.

"That was the best damn video ever created!" yelled the Soldier.

"Nu uh, mine is da best!"

He pointed to himself with a smug smile plastered across his face.

"Maggot, we have not even seen yours. It's probably crap that was produced by the commies!"

"Hey, hey calm down." May said, "Scout, we'll get to yours soon but the Engineer's next"

She saw the Engineer frown as she said that, but promptly turned the video on.

* * *

Dell was already familiar with the video even though he had only seen it once a year ago. The impression it left on him was far to great to forget it. He remembered seeing the cartoon version of himself copy what he had said before hand to the Director exactly. Every movement, saying and tone was exactly the same. Back then seeing it for the first time brought incredible shock, but having come to terms with the truth after a year, the video of his monologue about practical problems and strumming his guitar wasn't as shocking.

"Well, that was boring." the Scout said.

"You know what, boy? I don't care what you think right now. Let's just get this over with" he said, annoyed and exasperated.

"Sheesh, what's wrong with ya?"

"Nothing. Next video."

"Uh, OK." May said.

_Boom_

_Boom_

_Boom_

The Demoman was running out of a hall, avoiding explosions as he jumped out of the building. The video cut to the Demoman sitting at table, talking to someone.

_What makes me a good Demoman? f I were a bad Demoman, I wouldn't be sittin' here, discussin' it with you now would I?!_

The Demoman was now running out of the starting room into battle, exploding bombs everywhere. Suddenly it cut back to the Demoman sitting back at the table.

_One crossed wire, one wayward pinch of potassium chlorate, one errant twitch... and kablooie!_

Again, it switched back to the fight, showing the Demoman running towards an active firing Sentry. The Scout next to him collapsed, but he continued on, firing grenades from his launcher. As he made progress towards the Sentry, the video switched back and forth between the fight and the Demoman chugging his scrumpy.

The Sentry exploded on contact with the grenades, flinging bits of metal everywhere. The Demoman slammed his bottle down, looking more noticeably drunk than before.

_I got a manky eye. I'm a black, Scottish cyclops. They've got more f-*BEEEEEEP* than they've got the likes of me._

He picks up the empty bottle but notices the camera and begins talking again as the scene changes back to the battle.

_So..T'all you fine dandies so proud, so cocksure. Prancin' aboot with your heads full of eyeballs! Come and get me I say!_

The Demoman on screen notices a hoard of BLU's advancing towards him. He runs off into the opposite direction and comes out of the large door frame. Smirking, he forms a plan and begins to cover to door frame with sticky bombs.

_I'll be waiting on ya with a whiff of the 'ol brimstone. I'm a grim bloody fable... with an unhappy bloody end!_

The BLU's run up to the Demoman who is standing there, drinking. The Heavy at the front of the pack notices the bombs as he continues to run forward with a shocked expression. The Demoman salutes them and triggers the bombs to explode, gibbing every BLU that was unfortunate enough to follow him.

The camera angle changes to one on the ground as the Demoman goes up to it.

_Oh, they're going to have to glue you back together... in hell!_

The video ended, causing the Demoman to call out in triumph.

"That was one bloody good video!" he said, raising his bottle into the air.

"Who the hell cares?! Where's mine!" yelled the Scout.

"It's next, so calm down." May said.

* * *

The Scout and the rest of his team was peeking out of a slightly raised warehouse door, analyzing the BLU infested battlefield. He cocked his gun, ran out and was greeted by a sentry guns bullets. Being the runner he is, he quickly ran forward, strafing around the bullets. He jumped off a roof top onto another.

The Scout was being pursued by a Soldier and Pyro. Attempting to get rid of them, he ran into an open building that held some train tracks down the middle.

_Ding, Ding_

The Soldier and Pyro weren't fast enough and were run over by an oncoming train just as the Scout narrowly avoided it and ran up the stairs.

"Aw man that was freakin awesome!" the Scout yelled.

"Just watch the dang video, boy." the Enginner said in irritation.

The title card popped up with the fan fare playing, expecting to go to a following scene, but instead the Scout walked out from the right, clapping his hands together.

_Um... I don't even know where to start with you. I mean, do you even know who you're talkin' to?_

The scene changes to a BLU Heavy about to eat a sandwich when his head is bumped with a bat. Confused, the Heavy turns his head only to see a crouching Scout.

_Yo, what's up?_

It changes back to the Scout in front of the title card, emphasizing his importance.

_D-Do you have any idea, any idea who I am?_

It cuts back to the Heavy and Scout fighting with the Heavy throwing punches with a Scout effortlessly dodging. The Scout is screaming sarcastically as he easily moves out of the way of the punches.

It again cuts back to the lone Scout.

_Basically - kind of a big deal!_

The Scout is on top of the Heavy, strangling him with his aluminum bat as the Heavy attempts to pull it off.

It cut's back to the Scout, staring in admiration at his flexed arm.

_Oh man, that's beautiful !_

The Heavy now has the Scout in a headlock, who is attempting to break free from his grasp.

_Ya' listenin'? OK. Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and brotha' I hurt people._

He pokes the camera, leaving a finger print as it goes back to the fight.

_Boink!_

The Scout swings his bat into the Heavy's stomach.

_I'm a force a' nature!_

_Bonk!_

The bat is swiftly slammed into the Heavy's head causing him to bend back by the force.

_If you were from where I was from, you'd be f**kin' dead!_

The Heavy screams, reaching for his uneaten sandwich as the Scout jumps up the sides of shipping crates. He jumps off and slams the bat down onto the collapsed Heavy's head, knocking him unconscious.

_Woo!_

Like the other videos, it cuts to the ending picture with the theme music. It fades to the Scout sitting on top of an unconscious Heavy, enjoying the sandwich that the Heavy was never able to enjoy.

"That was the best freakin one ever! They captured my awesomeness perfectly!" he yelled in triumph.

"Boy, I already told you to settle down!" yelled the irritated Engineer.

May ignored it and just went on to the next video.

* * *

A camper van zoomed down an empty road in the middle of a desert, slightly swerving. It cut to the inside of the van, showing the bobble head of a man that was bobbing back and forth. A hand move toward it, flicking the head.

_Boom, headshot._

The title card popped up like all the other videos, but this time said 'Meet the Sniper.'

May smiled slightly, seeing as how this was one of her favorites...well at least half of them were her favorites, but regardless, she enjoyed this one.

The Sniper sat there in the driver's seat, driving his van as he spoke to the camera.

_Snipin's a good job, mate! It's challengin' work, outta doors. I guarantee you'll not go hungry-_

The Sniper is standing in what appears to be a bathroom, hat off, brushing his teeth. He looks at the photos of the BLU Engineer, Heavy and Scout that are lined up vertical on the right side of the mirror, spitting and wiping his mouth, returning his gaze to the only one that didn't have a red X marked through it, the Heavy.

_'cause at the end of the day, long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead._

The view changes to the scoped Sniper view as he puts a bullet between the BLU Heavy's eyes, causing him to collapse instantly without a scream. The bullet penetrated his head and continued to travel farther till it shattered the bottle of a Demoman that had been drinking behind the Heavy. A shard of the bottle embedded itself into the Demoman's eye, causing him to panic. He frantically moved around while blindly launching grenades. The Demoman, along with his grenades, fell over the edge and onto a cluster of explosive barrels, causing them to explode.

_Ooh._

It cuts to the Sniper talking on a pay phone, in the middle of the desert.

_Dad? Dad, I'm a- Ye- Not a "crazed gunman", dad, I'm an assassin! ...Well, the difference bein' one is a job and the other's a mental sickness!_

Scratching his cheek, the Sniper continues to drive his van while conversing towards the camera.

_I'll be honest with ya: my parents do not care for it_

The Sniper is now climbing up a large tower as the music continues to play (specifically a fan fare plays as he climbs). In the tower, the Sniper is surveying the scene through his sniper rifle.

_I think his mate saw me._

Bullets began to fly at him, ricocheting off the metal railing. The Sniper begins to back away from the fire.

_Yes, yes he did._

It cuts to the Sniper, now in a closed tower, showing a time lapse of him sitting there, still and waiting for a target to come in sight. Hours pass as he only moves for a sip of coffee and to relieve himself into clear jars he places behind him.

_Boom!_

A BLU Spy is now being penetrated by the Sniper's signature Kukri. He falls to the ground as the Sniper pulls out his kukri.

_Feelins'? Look mate, you know who has a lot of feelings?_

It cuts back to the driving Sniper.

_Blokes that bludgeon their wife to death with a golf trophy. Professionals have standards._

The Sniper takes of his hat a places it across his chest as a sign of "respect" to the dead Spy.

_Be polite._

Zoomed into the scope, once again, he fires three shots consecutively killing a Medic, Soldier and a Pyro.

_Be efficient._

The camera moves around to the front of the rifle's barrel, having it pointing directly at the screen.

_Have a plan to kill everyone you meet._

_Boom!_

The screen turns black, but then quickly turns to the title card like every other video. It suddenly cut's back to the Sniper on the phone, arguing with his father.

_"Dad... Dad p-, yeah - put Mum on the phone!_

"I think that was a pretty bloody good video. Captures me and my skill well enough" the Sniper said, content with his video.

"Guess, it captures your parental problems pretty well, huh?" May said, snickering.

"Oi! Let's not get into that! Next video." the Sniper snapped.

"Fine, fine." she muttered, playing the next video.

* * *

_Intruder Alert! A RED Spy is in the base!_

A loud warning bell was going off as the BLU Soldier checked enormous security panel that had the panels 'Intruder Alert', 'Red Spy' and 'In Base' lit up.

_Soldier: A RED Spy is in the base!?_

The Soldier grabbed a shot gun off the rack and began to run down the hall and stairs, quickly trying to get to his destination.

_Protect the briefcase!_

_Soldier: We need to protect the briefcase!_

He looked around, getting his attention caught by the Scout tugging on a locked door.

_Scout: Yo, a lil' help here!?_

The Soldier runs up to the boy and pushes him a side. He briefly stands there, thinking of the pass code.

_Soldier: All right, all right, I got it. Stand back son. 1, 1, 1, umm... 1_

_Scout: Let's, go, let's go-_

Suddenly the BLU Heavy runs up from behind the two, screaming.

_Heavy: INCOMING!_

The Scout and Soldier scream in fear as the Heavy smashes between them, into the door, breaking it down and shattering the glass. They run up to see the brief case is still there, sitting in its normal place.

_Scout: AAAAAHHHH- Hey, it's still here!_

_Heavy: AAAAalright then._

From the broken door frame, the BLU Spy appears, holding a dead Sniper over his shoulder.

_Spy: Ahem, Gentlemen._

Finally the title card appears, allowing for the RED team to voice their annoyed opinions.

"Why the crap are we watchin the BLU's?!" the Scout yelled in confusion and anger.

"These maggots don't deserve their own video!" the Soldier screamed.

"Hey, calm down. This actually highlights the RED Spy, so just keep watching." May said.

She looked over to the Spy, seeing him smirking at the screen. She figured that he must already know what happened.

The BLU Spy walks over to the desk, still carrying the Sniper over his shoulder.

_Spy: I see the briefcase is safe._

_Soldier: Safe and sound, mm-hmm_

_Scout: Yeah, it is!_

_Spy: Tell me... did anyone happen to kill a RED Spy on the way here?_

The three of them shrugged.

_Spy: No? Then we still have a problem._

The Spy placed the Sniper on the desk, revealing a butterfly knife sticking out of his back.

_Soldier: ...and a knife._

The Scout walks towards the corpse and pulls out the knife, not intimidated by the current situation. He spins the knife around, in attempt to manipulate it as well as the Spy does.

_Scout: Oooh, big problem. I've killed plenty of Spies; they're dime-a-dozen back-stabbing scumbags - like you!_

The knife nicks him, causing him to drop it.

_Scout: Ow! No offense._

The Spy picks up the knife, elaborately spinning it the way the Scout attempted to, showing off.

_Spy: If you managed to kill them, I assure you, they were not like me." [The Spy deftly retrieves the knife and flicks it shut, handing it back to the Scout] "And nothing... nothing like the man loose inside this building._

_Scout: What're you? President of his fan club?_

The Soldier and Heavy chuckle at the Scout's statement as the Spy walks up to the Scout shaking his hand and revealing a file folder.

_Spy: No... that would be your mother!_

The Spy throws the file onto the table, revealing pictures of the RED Spy and BLU Scout's mother sharing intimacy together.

The RED Spy stared at the screen in shock, just as the rest of his team stared at him in confusion.

"Uh, zhat is completely false. I 'ave never been with zhe BLU Scout's mother." he said, trying to stay calm and composed.

"Yeah, sure frenchie. These videos are accurate meani-" the Engineer said, only to be cut off.

"We do not fraternize with the enemy's mother, maggot!" yelled a furious Soldier.

"Spill it." commanded the Engineer.

"Merde, fine I 'ave 'ad a relationship with zhe BLU Scout's mother, but in my defense I was not aware of who her son was when I started zhe relationship. Zhe relationship 'as end zhough, so you do not 'ave to worry." he said, calmly, though May could detect a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Once a traitor always a traitor!" yelled the Soldier.

"Calm down, lad." the Demoman said.

"You do not order me to calm down!"

"Aye, don't think ye want me to shut you up, now do ye?" the Demoman said with a threatening tone.

Knowing full well of what the Demoman was capable of and the fact that he currently didn't have a weapon on him, the Soldier promptly shut up and continued to watch the rest of the remaining short even though their argument distracted them from some of the video.

Now It showed the RED Spy sneaking around the corner, watching the Sentry that was active in front of him. He ran out and threw a sapper underneath the Sentry, effectively sapping it, causing it to explode.

"To bad zhat is impossible to do.." muttered the real Spy.

_Engineer: Sentry down!_

The BLU Engineer scrambled to pull out and aim his pistol but he wasn't quick enough and was promptly shot in the head by the Spy's revolver. The Engineer slams against a door, blood staining it, as it opens up allowing the Spy to step through and fire at something off screen.

The camera switched back to the BLU Spy explaining the dangers of the RED Spy. The camera pans down to the lifeless Sniper.

_Spy: You've seen what he's done to our colleagues!_

The scene changes to a dusty room which is being used by the BLU Sniper. The Sniper is sitting, patiently on the look out for anyone that could possibly become his next victim.

_Creak_

_Sniper: eh?_

He quickly turns around only to meet the RED Spy who forcefully kicks him back to the boarded up window that he had previously been looking out of. The boards break and the Sniper grabs for his Kukri and attempts to slash at the Spy, only to have him evade ever attack. The RED Spy, seeing an opening, slashes the Sniper's cheek, causing him to feel the wound with his hand. The Sniper lunges once more, but again, misses as the Spy slashes his stomach, stunning him, then quickly backstabbing him. With a knife in his spine, the Sniper stumbles over the edge of the raised room.

Again, it cuts back to the men in the intelligence room.

_Spy: And worst of all, he could be any one of us..._

The video fades to the RED Spy blocking the BLU Medic's attempt at slashing him with his bonesaw.

_Medic: Raus, raus!_

The Spy grabs and twist's the Medic's arm, effectively breaking it, as he transforms into the Medic that stands defenseless before him.

_Medic: Nein..._

With a chop to the neck, the Spy kills the Medic with a force strong enough to cause his glasses to fly up into the air. The Spy caught them with a swift hand and placed them on his disguised face.

The video cuts back to the BLU Spy, though he begins to look worried.

_Spy: He could be in this very room! He could be you! He could be me! He could even be-_

The Spy was cut off by his head no longer existing. It was blown to bits by the Soldier firing his shot gun directly into his face. The headless corpse fell to the ground as a panicked and confused Heavy and Scout react in the background.

_Scout: "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"_

_Heavy: "Oh!"_

_Soldier: What? It was obvious!_

The Soldier pumps the shotgun, releasing the used shell.

_Soldier: He's the RED Spy! Watch, he'll turn red any second now..._

The Heavy and Soldier move closer to the body to inspect it further. He pokes it with the shotgun, expecting for the disguise to wear off.

_Soldier: Any second now... See? Red! Oh, wait... that's blood._

_Heavy: So, we still got problem..._

_Soldier: Big problem..._

The camera pans behind the two, showing the lingering Scout slowly move closer to the two. He takes out the butterfly knife that had previously been in the Sniper's back and flips it open with much more skill than he showed he was capable of before.

_Soldier: All right, who's ready to go find this Spy?_

As the Scout appears closer to the two, he flickers as a light gray smoke appears, melting away his disguise, revealing the RED Spy.

_Spy: Right behind you._

The Heavy and Soldier gasp in surprised but are quickly stabbed off screen as the end card plays. The screen fades to the scattered photo's of the Spy and Scout's mother. Photo's of the two in intimacy are pushed away by the Spy's gloved hand, leaving only one photo that showed the two hand in hand, walking down a hallway. The Spy picks it up, smiling at the fond memory he had made with her.

_Spy: Ahh... ma petite chou-fleur._

May glanced over to the Spy and saw a small sad smile appear for a brief second before the Spy realized it was there, and quickly wiped it away.

'What really happened?' she thought.

May knew now was not the time to ask, so, hoping that it wasn't wrong of her to ask, she would question him later.

"OK, only two left. Up next is the Medic's. Personally this one was my favorite." she said smiling.

"Hey, what about my awesome one?" the Scout shouted in protest.

"Sorry, I just really like this one. Maybe you'll see why." she said as the video loaded.

* * *

Birds sat peacefully on a rocky hillside, chirping contently. They were soon interrupted by a fiery explosion when an injured Scout and wheel chaired Demoman appeared from the other side of the rocks, jumping over in an attempt to runaway from whatever produced the explosion.

_Scout: Move cyclops, move!_

They continued to run, only to have a rocket exploded at the Scout's feet, propelling him downwards.

_Scout: Come on, come on, almost - augh!_

He fell to the ground and attempted to get up, but was soon met with a barrage of rockets

_Scout: Whoah! What the f-_

The rockets exploded around him flinging him towards the faraway camera. He smashed into a window that was placed in front of the camera.

_Scout: Medic..._

The Scout, weak and injured greatly, slid down the window as the Heavy and Medic inside were laughing at, not the Scout, but the story the Medic was telling. The Camera pans down to the two, revealing the Heavy's open chest that exposed all his organ's, with his heart in the Medic's hands.

_Medic: "Wait, wait, wait, it gets better. When the patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!_

The doctor laughed madly, as the Heavy pauses, allowing a second for him to realize what was funny. The Heavy, after realization, let out a bellowing laugh and slammed his hand down on the surgical table besides him.

_Medic: Anyway, that's how I lost my medical license, heh._

The Heavy's face quickly turned to that of happiness to one of concern when he heard that the doctor no longer had a medical license. Suddenly, a pure white dove, splattered with blood, pops its head out of the Heavy's exposed chest.

_Medic: Archimedes! No! _

He shoes the dove away in disapproval.

_Medic: It's filthy in there! Eugh. Birds._

The camera cuts to a device laying on a tray, which is then picked up by the Medic.

_Medic: Now, most hearts couldn't withstand this voltage, _

He stabs the device into the Heavy's heart and holds it up to the Medi guns beam.

_Medic: ...but I'm fairly certain your heart..._

_Whirrr, Ploosh!_

The heart exploded, with a piece of it knocking Archimedes off his perch. The Medic had a look of shock on his face, as he believed/hoped that his heart was not going to exploded like all the previous ones.

_Heavy: What was noise?_

The Medic quickly removes the remaining piece of the Heavy's non-existent heart off of the device.

_Medic: The sound of progress, my friend._

The Medic opens up a nearby fridge revealing an assortment of content, including three heart's, a Sandvich and some beers.

_Medic: Ah, perfect..._

He grabs the heart labeled 'Mega Baboon,' revealing a still alive Spy head.

_Spy Head: Kill me._

_Medic: Later._

The Medic closes the fridge and returns back to the Heavy's side with the device in one hand and the Heart in the other.

_Medic: "Where was I? Ah, there we go._

He forcefully places the device into the heart and holds it up to the mounted Medi Gun's beam.

_Medic: Come on, come on..._

As the heart starts to beat, the Medic laughs madly in triumph. The Heavy, looking nervous, possibly at the Medic's mental stability, laughs nervously with him. The meter on the device goes all the way up and the Medic moves his head away, squinting, as the heart brightly flashes red.

The now stabilized heart is glowing a shiny red, but still beating.

_Medic: Oh, that looks good._

The Medic carelessly drops the heart into the Heavy's chest cavity.

_Medic: Very nice there._

The Heavy cautiously lifts his head up, looking at the protruding heart with concern.

Heavy: Should I be awake for this?

_Medic Ah heh. Well, no, heh._

He pushes his sliding glasses back into place.

_Medic: But as long as you are, could you hold your rib cage open a bit?_

The Heavy places his hand on his rib cage, attempting to help the doctor.

_Medic: I can't... seem..._

_Crack!_

_Heavy: Augh!_

A rib had broken off and was now held in the Heavy's hand, both looking at it.

_Medic: Oh, don't be such a baby..._

He grabbed the rib and pinched the Heavy's cheek

_Medic: ..ribs grow back!_

He carelessly tossed the broken rib aside and turned to whisper to his doves.

_Medic: No they don't._

The confused bird cocked his head and flew away, leaving the doctor to continue his work. He grabbed the mounted Medi Gun and pulled it towards the Heavy's chest, intensifying its power, allowing it to rapidly heal the chest 'wound' and repairing his torn clothes. The Heavy, fully recovered, inhaled deeply.

_Heavy: What happens now?_

_Medic: Now?_

The Medic grabbed his hand, helping him up and chuckling darkly in the process.

_Medic: Let's go practice medicine..._

It cut to the Medic snapping his gloves on, his recently put on coat settling, and hauling his Quick-Fix onto his back. A door with a medical symbol opened, revealing a prepared Medic as a choir awed at the seemingly magnificent man that walked out. Doves flew around him, showing the man's life saving presence.

The Heavy quickly ran by him and and the camera moves to behind the Medic, showing the battlefield. Rockets were shot everywhere and his fellow teammates laid injured on the ground. The Demoman quickly rides in his wheel chair towards the Medic.

_Demoman: Medic!_

A rocket blows up from behind him, propelling the wheelchair forward, knocking the Demoman to the ground. The Medic, hearing his teammates help, switches on the Quick-Fix and aims it at the fallen Demoman. A red beam of healing pours out and envelops the Demoman, quickly healing him. The cast that covered is arm were quickly thrown off as the Demoman grabbed his grenade launcher. The Medic re aims the gun at the Scout and, just like the Demoman, he's instantly healed of all ailments. Smirking as his tooth quickly grows back, he grabs his bat and runs away, smacking a BLU Soldier right in the face.

_Scout: Woohoohoo!_

As the Scout runs excitedly back into battle, The Heavy proceeds to hide behind a truck as a never ending stream of rockets head their way.

_Heavy: Doctor, are you sure this will work?!_

_Medic: Ha ha ha, I have no idea!_

The Medic flips a switch, as the panel labeled 'Ubercharge Ready' lights up. His back pack begins to hum, with the power that is being flowed through. As the Medic fires his Quick-Fix at the heavy, he pops out from his cover, shooting at anything he see's. The power begins to affect the Heavy's heart, granting him the miraculous Ubercharge.

_Heavy: "EYAAAAAAAAAH!HA HA!_

The Heavy begins to walk forward towards a hoard of BLU Soldiers. All rockets fired at him bounce of harmlessly. As the Heavy advances closer and closer towards the oncoming BLU's, his teammates stare at him in awe.

_Heavy: I am bulletproof!_

Any BLU Soldier's that got in the Heavy's path were effectively killed one by one by his minigun. The Medic followed in suit, standing behind the Heavy as a means of protection. The two climb up a mountain of dead Soldier's as the Medic triumphantly cuts off his Quick-Fix at the top of the mound. Birds fly around him as the chorus once again awes in the feat he had achieved.

The video cut to the title card but quickly cut to the medical bay's waiting room. The camera moves down the rows of waiting chairs where the remaining teammates sat and waited, passing the time in their own way.

_Medic (off-screen): That looks good. Very nice there. Yes!_

_Scout (off-screen): Hey, thanks doc!_

The Scout burst through the operation rooms doors with a proud look on his face that quickly turned to that of pain and confusion.

_Scout: Awhawhaw, man! You would not BELIEVE ... how much this hurts._

The Scout's chest lightly, but noticeably is pushed out by some force inside of him.

_Coo!_

_Medic: Archimedes?_

"Mein gott, I remember zhat day. It vas one of our first battle's together. Originally, I had intended to install zhe Uber technology before zhe battle and zhe Heavy vas zhe first one scheduled for zhe implantation, but ve got sidetracked by stories. Zhe battle started before I could operate on a single one of mein comrades." the Medic said.

"Stories were funny. The surprised face everyone had was funny." the Heavy said, laughing.

"Well I didn't enjoy havin a nasty bird sewn up inside of me, Doc!" the Scout yelled.

"It vas an honest mistake, Herr Scout." he said, grinning.

"Yeah, mistake my ass! Havin that pigeon peck on my insides hurt like hell!"

"Archimedes is not a pigeon, he is a dove." the Medic corrected.

"Who the hell cares? A bird is a bird?"

The Medic scoffed and decided not to argue with the Scout, knowing that he would never shut up.

"Vell zhat vas one of mein finer moments on zhis team. It vas a shame zhat zhe Quick-fix's Ubercharge ability shorted out zhough. It vould have been quite an advantage to be able to heal quickly and deploy and Uber." he said, frowning.

"Alright, well last one guys. You might want to brace yourself for this one though. I have a feeling you don't know anything about this." May said, selecting the final video that people had waited for years.

As it began to play, she noticed that the Pyro was just standing there, staring off into the distance, supposedly in his own little world.

* * *

**Yeah making the Pyro's a separate chapter because this was going on too long. **

**Fun Fact: **

**The Medic met and obtained Archimedes and the rest of his doves after stealing a catering van from the prime minister's wedding. (yeah pretty well known but I couldn't think of a good fact)**


	15. Chapter 15

**REVISED CHAPTER**

**A/N: ****Certainly enjoyed this chapter. Describing the Meet the Pyro video was fun, as I evidently made a few things up.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Do You Believe in Magic?**

* * *

The Pyro walks down a dirt road with his trusty axe hanging by his side, kicking random bits of trash that stand in his path. He crushes a pair of glasses with his heavy boot, shattering the lens.

The Heavy sits in a room, with the shadow of darkness covering his body. He acts nervously as if he is looking out for something. Turning his head from side to side, he checks for anything, or anyone that would make him uneasy.

_Heavy: I fear no man. But that... thing...it scares me_

Walking through the dusty, deserted town, the BLU team frantically tries to get away from the RED Pyro as he advances towards them, ready for the flames to take his enemies lives. The BLU Engineer quickly shuts an splintered wooden door before the BLU Scout could get in, causing him to pull on the locked door in panic.

Several other BLU's attempt to hide from the thing walking down the street.

The Scout, being interviewed just like the Heavy was, refuses to talk about his fellow team mate. Not wanting to be there, he panics.

_Scout: No, I...I ain't, I ain't talking about that freak. All right?_

Distraught, the Scout desperately tries to take the mic, strapped to his shirt, off. He struggles to unattach it from his shirt, but has no success in doing so.

_Scout: He's not here, is she?_

He begins to struggle even more, getting frustrated as each moment passes by with the mic refusind to come off.

_Scout: How do I get this f***ing thing off?!_

The Scout quickly stands up, still struggling as he knocks the camera over in his haste.

The Pyro kicks a nearby door open with his flamethrower armed and ready. He scans the interior of the abandoned building, searching for any sign of life that he may burn to ashes.

The Spy, calm as always, holds his cigarette in hand as he explains the mysterious Pyro.

_Spy: One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind that mask..._

The town is already burning. The wooden buildings have already been set on fire by the pyromaniac. He seems to have no regard for human life or any sort of decency, gruesomely burning anything that moves. The thing fires his flamethrower up into the air as we see the town continue to burn to the ground.

_Spy: ...what dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty?_

The camera begins to zoom into the Pyro's black lifeless eye's that are shrouded behind the mask. The music begins to intensify as the camera delves deeper. Two bright circles are seen and the music begins to distort. Finally, the camera closes in on the white circles, revealing an unexpected landscape.

_Do you believe in magic? In a young girl's heart. How music can free her whenever it starts. Do you believe in magic?_

* * *

The RED mercenaries (excluding the Pyro) sat there in confusion and shock. May immediately noticed this and actually paused the video this time. They hadn't expected a bright colorful image filled with flowers and rainbows and anything girly that could ever be imagined. It was a 5 year old girl's dream world.

May had paused on a frame that showed a clear image of the colorful world as the Pyro was in mid attack, firing rainbows out of a strange instrument that resembled three trumpet ends.

"Wot the bloody hell is that?!" the Sniper cried out, jaw hanging wide open.

He was the first to respond, as the rest of the team just stood there, frozen in astonishment at the scene that laid before them. The Engineer shook himself out of shock and responded.

"What in tarnation is this..." he muttered, still bewildered.

"That, is Pyroland. According to this video, it is how the Pyro see's, which explains a whole lot of stuff." May said, slightly amused at their reactions.

"Wait, wait, wait...THAT's how the little fire bug views the world?!" the Engineer said, aghast.

He couldn't believe what he was being told. Dell always knew that the Pyro was strange, just standing around staring at either you or nothingness, but he never would have imagined that. It was like a hallucination caused by drugs that were taken by an overly joyful, child.

"So...the Pyro's a girl?" the Scout asked.

"Well, that's never revealed so I can't tell you. In fact that's one of gaming's biggest mysteries." May said.

"We have a Nancy on this team?! That is unacceptable! They belong in the kitchen!" the Soldier yelled out.

May gave him a nasty look, immediately shutting up. He knew that almost everyone in here would back her up and protect her, so he decided not to end the day with a possible fight that he would surely lose.

"Vell, zhis is an unexpected turn of events." the Medic said, turning to look at the Pyro with an inquisitive look.

As usual, it just stood there, seemingly frozen, fixated on what ever it was imagining.

"Zhere is somezhing zhat confuses me zhough. Why is it zhat monsieur Pyro acts and fights normally during matches, but acts like a zombie during cease fires. 'e never responds to us unless it is during a battle, as zhen 'e _speaks _normally." the Spy questioned, gesturing towards the frozen Pyro.

"Da, does not make sense." the Heavy replied.

"I'm with you lads." the Demoman shouted in agreement.

May attempted to come up with an explanation to all of this, but she couldn't come up with a sure answer. The only sort of answer she could think of was all merely speculation.

"I don't know. Maybe he's some how programmed that way, like maybe some kind of chemical or gas is making him see things that way. Really, I have no idea. Haven't you guys ever wondered what's under that mask?"

"Well of course, but it would be rude to just go up to, eh, him and yank that damn mask off."

"True, but you guys need to try and confront it-him about it. Besides, I'm eager to know the truth." she said, grinning.

All their heads turned toward the motionless Pyro. Everyone wondered about it's identity, but no one took action. They all thought of what to do, when one mercenary spoke up.

"Oh, screw it!" the Scout said, throwing his arms up in the air.

He got up and swiftly walked over to Pyro, lifting his hand to its masked head.

"No, son, what are you doing!" the Engineer yelled, attempting to stop him before he did it.

The Scout's hand reached the top of the mask and placed a firm grasp on it. He pulled it, eager to know what was hidden beneath it.

"What the Hell?! It's freakin stuck! It won't come off!" he yelled in frustration.

He began to pull it from every direction, pulling on any spot that he could get a grip on. His attempt was futile though, as the mask seemed to be welded to the suit, not moving from its spot one inch.

Before the Scout could try to pull the mask off anymore, the Engineer grabbed him, pulling him back to his seat. The Scout didn't go willfully, as on the way back, he flailed his limbs in a desperate attempt to break free.

"Let go of me, hardhat!" he screamed.

"No! Now you will sit down and learn to respect other people's privacy! You don't just go around grabbin people's clothing!" the Engineer lectured.

The Scout was forcibly sat down by the Engineer. He visibly pouted about the Engineer ruining his fun, with his arms crossed and an unhappy scowl across his face.

"Boy, we're all are curious as to what lies under that there mask, but we know our boundaries. Now apologize to the Pyro." he commanded.

Confused, the Scout turned to the Pyro and halfheartedly apologized.

"Sorry, ya freak." he said, aggravated.

"Scout!" the Engineer yelled, demanding him to properly apologize.

"Ugh...I'm sorry for invadin your personal space, Py." the Scout said, with no enthusiasm.

Content by this, the Engineer nodded, returning his attention back to May.

"Alright, let's finish this thing."

* * *

A BLU baby Heavy (literally) complete with wings, a diaper, and a chubby demeanor, popped out from behind a giant sandwich that it had been munching on. The Pyro, spotting the Heavy, grabbed a lollipop out of the Lollipop Forest, and the two began to run towards each other. The Pyro skipped toward his pal, as the baby Heavy ran as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, occasionally tripping. They reached each other as the Pyro spun around in the air bringing the lollipop closer to the Heavy.

_Heavy: AAUUGHH!_

_Splat!_

Back in reality, the Pyro had just swung his axe into the Heavy's head, spewing blood everywhere as he fell down, dead before he even hit the ground. He lied there, axe lodged in his head, with no knowledge of why the RED Pyro did that, before he had died.

The Baby Heavy was happily sucking on the giant lollipop that stuck out of his mouth. A gleefully laughter could be heard from a distance. The Pyro looked around and spotted a baby Scout flying towards him. He landed on the Pyro's Rainblower, and once again giggled. The Pyro took out a bubble blower and proceeded to blow a mass of bubbles onto the happy Scout, causing him to laugh even more.

_Fwoosh!_

The BLU Scout was knocked back, off his feet, by the force of the Pyro's flare gun. It wasn't certain whether the flare simply knocked him out, or killed him with its intense heat and velocity.

A BLU Medic, in the same style as the Heavy, popped its head out of a present crate, giggling and waving at the friendly Pyro. Catching his attention, the Pyro happily runs over to the baby Medic. Seeing an advancing Pyro, the baby Medic hides back into the box, leaving the lid crooked as he retreats with playfulness. He runs up to the crate and fixes the lid into it's proper sitting place.

A fire axe is place in between the handles of a barn door as a BLU Medic attempts to escape. Pushing against the doors, he realizes that an axe is barricading his only escape.

_Medic: No!_

Ignoring, or possibly not hearing, the Medic's plea for help, the Pyro quickly drenches the barn in flames, setting it a blaze in the night sky.

Prancing along Rocky Road, the Pyro and his friends happily bathe the world in rainbows, spreading their joy to the far corners of the colorful land. Leaving the town, the mayor, Balloonicorn see's the Pyro off, allowing the Spy and Engineer to ride him as they say a farewell to their good friend. Celebrating this momentous occasion, fireworks are set off with the Demoman waving goodbye to him.

The Demoman reaches out for help, lying on the ground, to injured to fight back. With no means of putting it out, the Demoman's life slips away as his back is on fire.

_Demoman: I'm burning!_

A BLU Scout frantically flees the scene as a BLU Sniper falls of a roof that had just exploded. Dazed from his fall, the Sniper spots a nearby foot and grabs it in desperation.

_Sniper: Help!_

Looking up and seeing the man he had just pleaded to, the Sniper quickly realizes how much of a mistake it was, but not before he screams in pain, as the flames feast on his body.

The Pyro, seemingly staring at his victim, tilts his head as the flames that enveloped the Sniper reflect in his goggles.

The Happy Pyromaniac trots down Rocky road, back to his home in the Candy Corn Mountains. Rainblower in hand, and a jolly tune playing, he embarks on a joyful journey back home, where he will wait for another fun filled day with his friends.

The Soldier, with a great big hole in his chest, grabs his falling heart and collapses. He hits the ground, causing his helmet to roll off, while the Pyro walks of into the night, having finished his mission. The burning town is no longer occupied by any living soul, just cremated corpses and the flames. He whistles a happy tune, as he walks away, buildings falling all around him.

The RED's sat there, completely speechless as to what they just watched. They knew the Pyro was odd, but not this odd. How could their team mate imagine this twisted world? Was he schizophrenic or just high? No one knew what to think so they all just stood there in silence, until May broke it.

"Yeah, so...I assume that's the same Pyro as the one in the video." she said.

No one said anything. They were all still trying to comprehend everything they had taken in the last few minutes. Instead, they all just nodded their heads in response to her question.

"Well...that was the last one, so you guys can go now. Maybe you could go reflect on your thoughts. There's nothing else to really show at the moment. I've got some fun little fan made video's that you guys might appreciate, but for now we're pretty much done."

Everyone nodded their heads in a silent agreement and began to leave the room. As usual though, the Pyro stood there, not moving a muscle. May looked at the strange creature with confusion and a hint of pity. She felt sorry that it was trapped in its own world. Despite being happy in it, the world was only part of it's imagination. She wished it would wake up from its slumber and return to reality.

May herself came back to reality and watched as the mercenaries went their separate ways. One person in particular that caught her eye though, was the Spy. He was one of the two, the other being the Pyro, who didn't leave the rec room. He stood there against the wall with an expression that suggested he was in deep thinking. Naturally, May had to know.

"Hey Spy, you OK?" she sweetly asked.

"Huh? Ah yes ma cheri, I am perfectly fine."

His face told the complete opposite. It was strangely easy to deduce the Spy's feelings, seeing as how well he was at covering his emotions. Something must have caused him to slip.

"Spy, you are lying so bad right now that it's not even funny." she said, grinning with a laugh.

"Merde..." he said, laying his hand over his face in embarrassment.

How could he let his guard down so easily? He knew the answer though. It was her.

"You know it's not nice to cuss..." she said, still grinning that cocky grin.

The Spy rolled his eyes, man was this girl nosey, but there's no way he would be able to get rid of her.

"My language is my decision, besides I zhought you wouldn't understand French."

"Hey when I like a game, I research the crap out of it. Any words you guys use a lot that was in another language, I know the English translation. Plus I did take French, but I don't think that helped me in anyway."

The Spy rolled his eyes in annoyance, "What do you want mademoiselle?

"What really happened with Scout's mom?" she boldly asked.

For a second, the Spy froze as a flood of memories came back to him. He might have been thinking about her before, but nothing else. The Spy wasn't thinking about all they had been through, but rather just of her, his petite Chou fleur.

* * *

**Yup, May's a nosy little thing, and it gets her into trouble.**

**Fun Fact: **

**The Pyro lives on 666 Lollipop Way in the Candy Corn Mountains. His neighbors include Teddy Roosebelt, Pocket Medic, more babified mercenaries, the Ballonicorns cousin, Reindoonicorn and finally, the happy ruler, the Admin.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So, so sorry that its been a while (like a week or so) but I've been busy with work, practice and Animal Crossing. Seriously I forgot how addicting and distracting that game could be. I was also having trouble coming up with ideas because i felt that everything i thought up was just way to similar to other stories i read. What i ended up going with was one that I'm satisfied with and isn't one that i've read in any other story, or at least i hope not.**

**I decided to split the Spy's story into different chapters so there will be a few more chapters of this "story arc" before we move back to the main story, but I'm sure you guys won't mind. I mean it is the Spy's backstory so it could get interesting. Honestly, with more detail, this and the Medic's story really could have been separate stories and I was actually thinking of going back and making that chapter into a full ****fledged story, but it wouldn't happen for a while.**

**Not as proud on this because i feel as though the chapter went on, the writing started to decline in quality. I think i ran out of different words and ways to explain things even though i was using a thesaurus. **

**Apologizes for the Spy's somewhat inconsistent accent in this chapter and the Scout's Mom's almost non existent accent as well as it being a bit on the short side, but hey I am separating it into different chapters so the others might be longer.**

**Hope you guys enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Bostonian Madame **

* * *

"Fine, I will tell you mademoiselle, but you must promise me never to tell zhe others. Zhey are already, eh, not fond of zhis relationship zhat once was." the Spy said, with a hint of sadness.

"Don't worry I promise, so go ahead and tell the story." May said, somewhat giddy.

She might have been a tom boy but like most girls, she to enjoyed gossips on relationships, though not as much as a normal girl. When it came to certain characters though, she either hated or despised relationships, depending on who the two people were. With the Scout's Mom and Spy however, she always thought it was somewhat sweet and was always curious to know more of their story.

Annoyed by the teen, the Spy sighed and began from the beginning of how he met her.

* * *

A young man was strolling along the main strip of shops in Boston. The man was dressed in a large trench coat that hid the fine black, italian suit worn beneath it. A beige fedora sat atop his head, shrouding part of his face in darkness. If one were to look at him, the man would certainly be marked as suspicious, but being as how he was in the busy streets of Boston, Massachusetts, no one gave him a passing glance, as they were to preoccupied with their own problems.

He was just visiting this American city on account of work. Somehow, someone from America had heard of his work and wished to hire him for a job. It wasn't odd to receive requests from people outside of France, but they were always within Europe and never this far out. While he was still perplexed as to how that happened, it really didn't matter seeing as how work was work.

He slipped a piece of paper out from one of his coat pockets, reading it once more. The writing was more of a scribble because the information he had received was spoken hastily through a phone and he didn't feel that it was necessary to rewrite it. Making sure he was in the right place, the man sat down outside of the quaint cafe, lit a cigarette, and waited for his client to arrive.

From the voice he heard over the phone, the man easily figured out that it was a woman that had hired him so he kept a look out for any woman that might have been looking his way. The voice over the phone seemed nervous as she was spilling the information as fast as she could. It was as if she was in trouble, but he had no time to ask what was going on or what exactly he was suppose to do. The lady promised that he would be informed of the situation at this meeting.

It was 2 o'clock, the time they were suppose to meet. He thought that maybe, he got the address wrong, but that worry soon disappeared as a woman cautiously walked up to him.

"Are you the one I called for help with a problem?" she asked, hoping she had gotten the person right.

The first thing the man noticed was her heavily accented, nasily voice. She definitely grew up in Boston and while he didn't like the American accent as it was, certain drawls annoyed him even more, including the Bostonian accent. He was at least glad that he was fortunate enough that he didn't get stuck in the southern part of America. Of all the hated accents that he could tolerate, the southern one was not one of them. It was the only accent that made the man frustrated, and annoyed to the point of losing his temper. There were few accents he could tolerate such as British and Irish, but American was not one of them.

"Ah yes, you must be zhe one who called zhe other day." he said, polite as ever.

He grabbed her hand and gently kissed it as sign of tradition.

"It's a pleasure to meet you mademoiselle."

The woman blushed slightly, as a reaction to what the gentleman had just done.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you to Mr...I'm sorry I never got your name."

"My apologizes mademoiselle. My name is Vincent. Now may I know what your name is ma cherie?"

Of course Vincent wasn't his real name, but like every other job he had to make up a fake name. His line of work required him to disappear completely from society. He wasn't to have anything to do with any government. This meant that he essentially had no identity. Vincent (as we shall refer to him) kept a notebook of names that he had already used, so he wouldn't accidentally re-use a name seeing as how most of his alias were on wanted lists. Before arriving in America, he had already chosen a name to go by on this particular job. Adrien, Dominic and Phillipe had already been used so he obviously couldn't seeing as how each of them were wanted in different countries.

"Maria Petrelli." she said as she sat down in the seat opposite, smiling at the gentleman that sat before her.

Vincent took a moment to study her, surprisingly finding that she was quite attractive. Most Americans that he had encountered weren't anything to spectacular, but this woman was an exception. She had an excellent figure, that consisted of voluptuous hips and a very feminine curve. Her short black hair was styled in a bob and was held back by a black headband. The tight fitting blue dress she wore just accented her body even more. To Vincent it seemed as if she was attempting to get men's attention by the way she dressed.

"So, Mademoiselle Petrelli, what 'ave you hired me to do?" he questioned.

The smile on her face disappeared and was replace with a frown. Maria didn't enjoy recalling why she had hired him in the first place.

"You see, I've got a rather...troublesome husband." she quietly said.

Confused, Vincent simply replied, "I'm sorry but I do not understand."

"Well, I should probably just show you." she said, turning as she began to unzip her dress.

For a fraction of a second, Vincent thought that she was stripping, but quickly threw that thought out the window. Maria zipped her dress down far enough to where he understood why he was hired.

Bruises and cuts marked her back. There was not a single spot on Susan's back that wasn't covered in either scars or wounds. A particularly large one went from her right shoulder all the way to her left hip. Her once beautiful skin had been permanently damaged.

Vincent was shocked at how injured this lovely lady had become. He knew that this was caused by the husband she spoke of. Though he never cared for his clients, as it was more or less forbidden to do so, Vincent was genuinely concerned for the woman's well-being.

"Madmoiselle Petrelli, I am so sorry for zhe way you 'ave been treated. 'ow can I help?"

Maria zipped her dress back up and turned around to face him with a gloomy look on her face.

"From what I have heard of your services, I understand you have a way to not be seen, right?"

"Oui, you are correct."

"I need you to secretly become my bodyguard."

nobody had ever hired him for such a job, as it was not mentioned in his description. Vincent couldn't think of ever becoming someone's bodyguard, seeing as how he thought it was quite degrading in his opinion.

"Mademoiselle, I do not think zhat I wi-"

"If it's money don't worry about it, I will pay you every penny you ask for." she said, hastily.

"It is not the money that concerns me, it is zhat I am not, eh, qualified to be a bodyguard, as you say. It is not a job zhat I 'ave ever done."

Vincent didn't want to reject Maria's more or less plea for help, but he just wouldn't degrade himself by becoming a bodyguard, even if it was for such a beautiful woman in such a terrible situation.

Desperatly trying to get the man to agree, Maria began to convince him that he wouldn't necessarily be a bodyguard.

"Look, you just need to stay hidden. You don't have to be seen. I really need your help with this. All you need to do is keep me and my children safe for a week while I get everything ready."

Intrigued by the fact that she had children, Vincent lifted an eyebrow up as his thoughts briefly carried him away. It seemed to be a miracle that she had managed to keep such a skinny figure after child birth.

"You 'ave children?" he asked.

"Yea, just eight of them."

Vincent's mouth dropped open in shock, causing the cigarette to fall off into his lap. Cursing, he quickly flicked the cigarette off of his pants before anymore damage to his suit could come. He couldn't believe that this woman had even one child and managed to keep her figure, but eight just seemed impossible.

His cursing wasn't just toward the fallen cigarette, but also towards the fact that he lost control of his emotions. He was still young and had problems every now and then controlling more major emotions such as anger and shock. Vincent had been cursing at himself for losing his calm composure.

Vincent figured that it would be rude to point this surprising fact out to Maria, so he just skipped asking her about her children for the moment.

"What do you plan to do, mademoiselle?"

Indeed he was curious as to what her plan was, but he attempted to sound as if he didn't care.

"To get outta this damn place. Yeah I love Boston, I mean it was my home, but I can't stand to live here with Buck around. We have to get out of here before he can hurt us even more. None of my children like him, and throughout the years they have several reasons to. As you saw, he isn't exactly nice to me and we all have agreed to move out, but that son of a bitch won't let us. Anytime we even attempt to, he threatens to kill us with this shotgun he keeps around for 'protection.'"

Vincent agreed that she did have a legit reason to ask for his assistance, but he was still hesitant to become a lowly bodyguard. He refused to stoop to that level, but it was going to help this lovely woman. Maybe, after he completed his job, he could charm her and have a one night fling with her. He certainly loved his ladies and this one was especially radiant in his eyes.

On the note of a potential romance, he finally agreed.

"Great!" she said excitedly, "Guess we should get into details on what's gonna go down."

"Oui, it is a good thing for me to know such things."

"Well, I plan to leave on Sunday and seeing as how its Monday, that's about six days that you will have to protect us. All you need to do is keep an eye on Buck at all times, and make sure he doesn't do anything to harm us."

Great, now he was being reduced to a stalker. How much worse could this day get?

He "happily" nodded at his objectives and continued to listen.

"We will leave on Sunday at 8 p.m. while Buck is his crappy bar, drinking with his friends." she said with distaste, "At that point I need you to make sure that he doesn't come home at least 30 minutes before then. If he does then he might be able to follow us, and that wouldn't end well. As we get closer to the departure date, I'll emphasize further, but for now, why don't we get to know each other." she said, looking at him with interest.

Hesitant, to reveal his "personal life," Vincent figured that there was no harm in revealing small trivial facts of himself that did not matter.

"So, evar been to Boston before? You like it here?" she asked.

"No, zhis is my first time, but if I must be honest zhen I honestly don't zhink zhat it is such a,eh, great place."

Slightly flustered, Maria responded, "Hey don't say that about Boston. It's a wonderful place and not to mention my home town. Besides you'll be spending the next few days here so you better get used to it."

"It seems I must. Now if I may I would like to ask you some questions."

"Sure, go on ahead. I got nothin to hide."

The Spy grinned. He was getting paid by her so he might as well take full advantage of it. Vincent loved to know stuff and sometimes his curiosity would get the better of him.

"What 'appened with your husband? Was he always like that to you?"

A frown appeared on her face and Vincent knew that he had touched a rather sensitive subject.

"No not always. When we first met he was all nice and polite, kinda like you but a little more rude. He acted that way for a few months, until we got married, then the abuse started. He started showing his true colors and all I wanted to do was get away, but he threatened to do horrible stuff if I ever left. While he didn't care about my boys, they cared for me and stuck around to try and protect me. While they still couldn't protect me from the beatings, they knew that if they left, they would become more severe, so they chose to endure the pain with me. Ever since then, we have lived in misery for five long years."

From her expression and tone, Vincent could tell that she wasn't happy in the slightest. Making her recall those memories were painful for both of them. While she hated to remember the constant abuse, he was ridden with guilt since he was the cause of her having to remember.

Vincent didn't know why he felt guilty, because never before had he ever felt guilt towards anyone, especially towards a woman. Was he falling for this woman? Never had he been truly in love with another, but rather he had only felt infatuation and lust, so this feeling was one that he was, ironically, confused about. While he didn't mind his cluelessness, seeing as how he enjoyed all of his one night partners, somewhere in his heart he did long for someone to love that would love him back, but none of that seemed possible. His current way of life would be to dangerous for anyone to be involved with him. If any of his enemies knew that there was someone he cared about, then surely they would use them as a form of blackmail, threatening them until they got their way with Vincent.

These foreign feelings weren't welcomed and Vincent decided to push them to the back of his mind for the time being.

"My sincere apologizes to you and your sons, but I must know, who was their father?"

Once again he had touched on a sensitive subject as Maria had lowered her head slightly.

"I...I don't like to talk about it."

While, he liked to get any information that he could, Vincent knew to respect her privacy and dropped the topic. Quickly he changed to another, more joyful topic.

"So, Mademoiselle Petrelli, do you know of any good restaurants around here?"

Maria perked up a bit as the subject had changed.

"Of course, what kind of person would I be if I didn't know my own homes restaurants?" she asked, somewhat offended.

"This place here's pretty good, but I know a nice bar in town that's a bit more classy than most. They also have some damn good food."

"Zhat would be nice, If you would kindly lead the way, I would gladly treat you to some lunch." he said, with a genuine smile upon his face.

"Alright, let's get goin then." she happily said, standing up as he to did.

The two walked down the street, as Vincent followed Maria's lead.

* * *

**Sorry for these length A/N but I feel as though I need to get everything explained.**

**Anyone catch the fanfiction reference in there? I'm sure a few of you did. In fact it tells you why I chose not to use them. (dead giveaway now, huh?)**

**Yay! Fun Factsapolooza! **

**Fun Fact:**

**I originally intended to add in what happen to Maria's first husband but ultimately decided against it, seeing as how it would be better for it to remain a mystery.**

**The Scout's Mom was originally named Susan but because I wasn't fond of the name, I changed it to Maria, though Susan could fit well in my opinion.**

**When writing, the first last name that popped into my head was Petrelli and decided to make that her last name because i thought it had a nice ring to it and fit nicely. About half way through I realized that if it had been the RED Scout's mother then his name would have ended up becoming Nathan Petrelli which would have ended up accidentally becoming a reference to Heroes, but... because it is the BLU Scout's mother and the BLU Scout's name is not Nathan, then the reference is in fact non-existent. Whew, dodged that one (in actuality i have nothing against the show, and in fact like it)**

**The hat the Spy was wearing is in fact the Fancy Fedora. I did want to have it be the Detective Noir, seeing as how I love that hat, but I really didn't want to refer to it as a detective hat, so i went with the fedora.**

**Buck was originally named Tim but everytime I typed Tim down, NintendoCaprisun kept popping into my head so I changed it. Besides Buck seemed much more like an idiot then Tim did.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Ok, I promise there's only one more chapter in the Spy's story, though I am enjoying it quite a bit. really these backstories should just be their own separate stories...oh well.**

**I made a pretty stupid mistake in the last chapter (i think). I refered to the Scout's mom as mademoiselle which is meant for young or unmarried women, which clearly is wrong so i fixed it here and now she's refered to as Madame. I feel like an idiot considering I just took French the previous school year.**

**Realized I forgot to give the last chapter a name so... now it has another terrible name, yay!**

**This chapter's name came to be when I remembered reading a comic where the Engineer started crying in the middle of lunch because a spy was 'sappin' his wife. I thought of that and literally couldn't help myself even though this has nothing to do with the Engineer and in this case it means stealing instead of sex.**

**This chapter has a bit more cursing then previous because I had to make Buck a complete jerk.**

**Yes, the Spy is a bit of a racist, but only because we Americans have "no sense of culture" (being sarcastic just in case no one picked that up...)**

**WARNING: CHEESY, SAPPY ROMANTIC CRAP AHEAD!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Spy Sappin' My Wife**

* * *

"Alright, here we are." Maria said, gesturing towards the building in front of them.

They had arrived at the bar Maria had told him about that was named Bateman's Bar. Vincent looked at it with a critical eye and didn't see how she thought it was better than most American bar's he had been to. The outside looked much like any other restaurant or shop on the street, old and run down.

'Hmm, not a bad name, Bateman. Might have to use it sometime." he thought, making a mental note to put it in the list of names that he hadn't used yet.

Maria led Vincent inside and much to his surprise, it was a bit nicer than he originally thought. It wasn't like those run down bars full of bikers that he had previously been to. This one actually had a bit of class, well, for an American bar at least.

The place was surprisingly clean and there weren't any overly drunk people that were waddling around like idiots. Everything from the floor to the ceiling looked brand new, even though Maria had told him on the way here that it had been around for a few years. She also said that the owner had a drink limit, so that he wouldn't have to handle any unruly customers. Vincent, for once, actually thought that was a clever rule, as it certainly would decrease the number of fights.

The two walked to the bar and sat down in front of a bartender who had their backs to him, cleaning glasses that had been previously returned back to him.

"Hey what's up Dennis?" Maria said.

"Maria, that you?" he said, turning around, "Hey, whose this guy?" he asked, somewhat rudely.

"Oh, this is Vincent." she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Vincent twitched slightly from the sudden contact of her hand on his person. Normally he didn't like other people touching him, but for now he would make an exception.

"You think it's good idea to have him around with Buck still here?" he asked, concerned.

"Well, that asshole ain't here in this place now is he?"

"Nah, haven't seen him recently. Now what's he around for?"

"Oh he's here to help me with my plan. Remember that plan I told you a few weeks ago?"

Dennis nodded, "Yeah the one where you and the kids are gonna bail?"

"Yeah, he's gonna help out by keepin an eye on Buck for me this week. Make sure he ain't on to us."

"And how do you expect he'll do that without being noticed?" he asked with skepticism.

"I 'ave my ways." Vincent said, with little interest in his voice.

"Ah, so your French, huh?" Dennis asked in a curious, yet rude, tone.

"Oui, do you have a problem with zhat?" he replied, annoyed.

"Nah, it's just that most of you people are just stuck up and snooty." he said, wiping the counter down with a rag.

Vincent didn't reply, as Dennis's remark bothered him, but he couldn't complain because he felt the same way towards Americans, though instead of stuck up and snooty it was rude, arrogant and uncultured.

"Well Vincent here isn't like that." Maria said in a matter of fact tone, "He's a great gentleman. Polite and nice." she said, grinning.

"You mean like how Buck was?"

Maria's grin quickly left her face and was replaced with a frown filled with hurt. She looked down, recalling the mistake she had made in marrying that jerk.

"Awe, man, Maria I didn't mean it like that. Look, why don't you have a drink. It's on the house." Dennis apologized, quickly filling a glass with beer and handing it towards her.

"Thanks, Dennis." she said, taking a large gulp of the alcoholic drink.

"Madame, I do not zhink zhat is a good idea. One such as your self should not consume large amounts of alcohol." Vincent said, slightly worried that he would have a drunk Maria to deal with.

"Oh don't worry sweetie, I have a high tolerance. Usually takes a few glasses for it to affect me."

Though Vincent didn't quite believe her, he let her enjoy her drink, though if she were to order anymore, he decided that he wouldn't allow her. For some odd reason, he feared what would happen to her if she were to show up home to Buck in a drunken state. Most likely she would be once again abused, and Vincent feared that, but he wasn't sure why. Was he really falling in love with this woman?

'No, I can not be," he thought, 'Zhere is no way I would simply fall in love with some client, especially an American one.'

Vincent honestly had no clue as to what was going on with his feelings. He had never experienced true love before, so the feeling was foreign to him. He didn't know if what he felt for this woman were true or false. Whatever the case may be, he decided that after this week he would never see her again, so he should just dismiss the feelings...even as hard as it would be, he would not stay with Maria.

* * *

The two sat there for about an hour, in silence. Neither knew what to say to each other, so they preferred the silence over an awkward conversation. Dennis, being the clever man he was, decided to just leave the two alone as he could tell each of them were deep in thought with their own conflicts.

Maria had been reflecting on the poor choices she had made in the past few years that mainly had to do with Buck. She had no idea what she saw in that man. How did he manage to infatuate her so much so that she was unable to see his true self. Was it the good looks he had at the time or how nice he seemed? Whatever the reason was, neither of those two qualities existed anymore. After their marriage, Buck had turned back to his old ways and began drinking profusely, causing him to gain a fair amount of weight. His alcoholism was what most of Maria's earnings had been spent on, as well as his own, which weren't enough to supplement his desires.

Maria ended up having to take four part time jobs just to support her family and her husband's "needs." Each day, Maria worked two jobs, one in the day and one at night. It was a miracle that she was not entirely sleep deprived from the lack of sleep that would occur during the weekdays. The four jobs alternated, and the only entirely free day she had was Sunday. She knew that she really should spend part of Sunday at church, as her mother always taught her to attend church on Sunday, but the exhaustion was to much and the one free day was normally used as a 24 hour nap. Luckily this was enough time to refresh her for another week of work.

Vincent, on the other hand, instead of dealing with problems of the past, was currently dealing with problems of the present. Mostly it was the spontaneous feelings for this woman that had arisen only a few hours ago. How could he fall in love with someone so quickly? Maybe he didn't, maybe it was just lust like all other women he had been with, but with those, he knew it was lust and never once thought it was love.

Deciding to break the silence, Vincent asked a rather odd question for a stranger to ask.

"Madame, do you still love your husband?" he asked rather bluntly.

Vincent knew that really wasn't a question he should have asked the broken woman, but the curiosity got the better of him.

She looked up from her empty glass in anger. Her face was contorted in such a way that could only be produce by rage.

"What the hell do you think?!" she screamed.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just curious is all." he said, taken a back by her harsh tone.

"Do you really think I'd be happy in an abusive relationship?! Who the fuck would?!"

Enraged, Maria suddenly changed emotions and broke into tears. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably while attempting to explain.

"I-I'm not the slightest bit happy. All-all that man wants is sex and alcohol. He doesn't care at all for me." she said in a shaky, broken voice.

Guilt filled Vincent, as he was the one that caused her to suddenly breakdown in tears. Attempting to comfort her, Vincent gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, that was of course not a sign of affection, but merely comfort.

The small, insignificant kiss cause Maria to look up at Vincent. Her face was covered in her running mascara, but it wasn't important at the moment. What was important was that this man that she had initially hired just for help, seemed to show some hint of concern and possibly love in the eyes she had lifted her head up to see. She wasn't a fool and knew that genuine concern was hidden beneath this hard, yet also flimsy exterior this man had created.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours, lost in each others eyes. Maria saw Vincent's eyes to be full of mystery, while her own were seen as loving and caring, though full of trust that had long been broken.

Breaking the stare, Maria grabbed Vincent around his waist into a sudden hug. Vincent was startled by the sudden action, but was soon found himself to be returning her hug.

"Maria, what the hell is going on?!"

The two quickly retreated from each other and looked in the direction that the voice had come from. Though Vincent didn't recognize the man standing in the doorway, he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"B-Buck?! What are you doing here? Your suppose to be at work!" she said, fearfully.

"I got off early, only to come home to an empty house! I knew you would be here, but I never expected you to be with another man!" he yelled, enraged at the mysterious man his wife had been holding close.

"I-I can explain, sweetie." she said nervously.

"I don't give two fuck's about your explanation, you bitch! You belong to me and no one else!"

He had been making quite a scene and had caught Dennis's attention who popped out from the kitchen with a shotgun in hand. Dennis wouldn't allow Maria's husband in here for a reason. This was her safe haven and he wasn't going to let him disrupt it.

"Buck, you have to the count of three to leave." Dennis said, menacingly.

"Not till these two bitches get what's coming for them!"

Vincent cut in, speaking for the first time to Buck. "I do not zhink zhat would be wise. I would easily win zhis fight." he said, as calm as ever.

"So you're cheatin on me with some crouton pussy?!" he said to Maria.

"N-No, it's-It's not what it looks like!" she yelled back, still in a nervous tone.

"One..."

"The fuck it was! I know you was cheatin on me and you know what I've told you would happen if you did!"

"Please, Buck, don't!"

"Two..."

The shotgun was cocked and aimed at Buck.

"Zhat is enough you two. D-"

"Shut the fuck up frenchie!"

"Buck!"

"Three!"

Dennis was about to pull the trigger, with no regret as to what he was about to do, when Vincent quickly disarmed him and grabbed the shotgun for himself. He ran over to Buck and placed it right in the middle of his chest, causing him to raise his arms in defeat.

"D-don't shoot!" he whimpered loudly.

'Well this man is quite a pussy, as he put it, himself' Vincent thought, while still keeping an intimidating face.

"If you would bother listening to you wife, it was definitely not an affair. I was simply comforting 'er as a result of what YOU have done to 'er."

Maria cautiously stepped forward, knowing that Buck was incapable of hurting her at the moment and walked up next to Vincent.

"You need not worry as I 'ave no feelings for you wife zhat may endanger your marriage." he said with a concrete expression.

Maria knew not to show her feelings, but her heart was quickly dropped as she had heard him say those words. Unlike Buck, for once, she was the one that was fooled. Vincent's words duped Maria, but not Buck, though he pretended not to know the truth.

"Whatever, just put the gun down." Buck demanded, with a small grin.

Slightly hesitant, Vincent lowered the gun to his side, but was quickly met with a fist to his face. He stumbled back, rubbing his throbbing face. Disappointed that he didn't see that coming, Vincent mentally hit himself for not being more aware.

"Zhat was a, 'ow you say, cheap move."

"Oh shut it frenchie. Maria, we're leavin." he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door.

"But-"

"Non, the lady stays 'ere."

Buck turned around only to see a revolver being pointed right at his head.

"Where the f-"

"Madame Petrelli will leave when she decides to. Now let 'er go."

Unwillingly, Buck let her go, allowing her to return to Vincent's side.

"You have to come home at some point, and when you do, oh hoe you're gonna get it!" he yelled, storming out the bar in anger.

Once Buck was out of sight, Maria once again hugged Vincent, thanking him for the temporary save.

"Thank you for standing up against that jerk." she said, burying her head into his chest.

"Je t'en prie." He said, stroking her hair to comfort not just her, but him as well.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"My apologizes. It means your welcome in French."

Realizing what she was doing, Maria quickly pushed her self away from Vincent as he did the same. She patted out her dress as he fixed his tie, which, for both, seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Oh, well again thank you, but I will have to face him sooner or later and you can't help me."

"Oui, unfortunately, I know, but do not worry, I will do my job and protect you."

Maria's heart beat faster upon hearing those words. Maybe he did actually care for her. Was it possibly just a show for Buck back there? Of course it was, how could she be so stupid and not see it. She even recalled Buck's small smirk that indicated he knew something he wasn't suppose to know.

"You can't protect me from him right now. I will have to take tonight's abuse with no interruptions. If you interfere then he will know somethings up. Just make sure he doesn't kill me ok?" she said with a small chuckle.

The two looked at each other, lovingly, knowing that now was not the time to confess their love.

* * *

**Told you, really sappy stuff.**

**Anyone catch the "reference" I put in there? I really couldn't help myself.**

**Fun Fact:**

**(sorry none that pertains to the characters this time around, well not really. Couldn't think of one...)**

**I had trouble finding a way for the Spy to say 'your welcome' in French because there's literally ton's of different ways. Ended up settling with the one that is used towards friends that means that you are truely thankful.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Ok I just wanted to get this chapter over with and finish the Spy's story. I really don't like how this chapter turned out. It was rushed and is lacking detail. I skipped a probably important part that you'll see later. Bound to have several mistakes with all the stuff I skipped. Half way through I ended up completely scrapping what was done and started over, and this is the result.**

**Special thanks to SilverEnderWolf for helping me when I had no idea what to do. She really helped with the fight scene and I am really grateful for it. Thanks!**

**If anyone is interested, feel free to add me on steam. I'm always up for a good game of TF2 and what not (even if I suck). Name's: Skymin**

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Escape**

* * *

Buck had been excruciatingly brutal to Maria that night. He was not one bit happy that his wife was cheating on him with some French cream puff. Another case of domestic abuse had occurred that night with no justice to be carried forward.

This particular fight, though, was a bit different than the others that had come before it. Instead of being completely one and in Buck's favor, this one was a genuine fight. Maria had argued as best she could, on the fact that she was, in no way shape or form, cheating on him. Long ago she had been done with him and his actions, but now that she would be free of him in less than a week, she thought she might as well make the best of it and fight back. Unfortunately her argument only made things worse for her.

During their verbal argument, Buck had refused to listen to anything Maria had said. He was convinced that she was cheating on him and was not one bit happy. Frustrated with Buck's thick head, Maria lost her temper and promptly kicked him where the sun doesn't shine and watched him fall like a tree. She smirked for a few seconds, but quickly realized what she had done was not a smart move.

Buck was bound to retaliate with even more anger filled hits and Maria was going to try her best to avoid it. Maria attempted to run for the door, but Buck was quick to recover and knocked her down with a firm, strong punch. She slammed back into the wall and was temporarily dazed. Taking advantage of this, Buck picked her up by her hair and dragged her to the kitchen, while she was not aware of what was happening.

Unfortunately none of her boys were there to intervene, so she would just have to go through with this entire abuse by herself. Luckily she knew that she at least wouldn't be murdered because she knew Vincent was there in shadows somewhere, ready to strike when needed. Though he had yet to reveal how he would be able to conceal himself entirely, she was certain he was there, looking after her.

After basically begging her, Vincent was finally given the OK to stay at her house (while cloaked) for the night to watch over the fight. Agreeing that it was his job to do so, Maria happily allowed him to, but made sure that he promised not to watch her at certain parts, such as when she was getting undressed and what not.

Maria was harshly dragged over to the kitchen counter where Buck had pulled out a lethal knife from an innocent looking cabinet. Ready to take action, Vincent straightened up and pulled out his revolver. He had been standing in the opposite side of the room, monitoring them while making sure not to be seen, heard or felt.

She heard the slight shuffle of the expensive suit and looked over to where the noise had come from. She knew that Vincent had produced the noise, giving her a slight hope, though she knew he wouldn't be able to do anything. She knew this wouldn't kill her, but it would be extremely painful. She had to take it, so she gave a slight nod, telling him that he was not to do anything. Buck raised the knife up and through insults and verbal abuse, it came upon her back, slashing through her skin like it was butter.

Maria's skin ripped as deep gashes appeared once more on her back. Old wounds and scars were reopened, as her back felt like it was on fire. The stinging and burning sensation was unbearable, but she would find away to fight through it, for she had a reason to fight. After this week, she would finally be free and all thanks to Vincent.

The man, who had just recently come into her life, filled her with happiness at the mere thought of him. She was beginning to think that she had fallen in love with him. It was easy to see why she had, though. He was such a gentleman and was quite handsome. The complete opposite of Buck. Maybe she could pursue a relationship with him? No, that wouldn't be acceptable for his line of work, but maybe, just maybe.

Through her muffled screams, Vincent stood there on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing, but what was really shocking was that he was about to cry. Vincent had trained himself to have complete control of his emotions, but at the sight of this scene, all that training disappeared. He didn't like the fact that he wasn't allowed to help her, but instead had to sit there and watch like a common bystander. Though he desperately wanted to help, he knew that in the long run it would hurt her if he intervened now. That unfortunately meant that he had to sit through this emotional torture.

Buck continued to shout insults and carve into her flesh for what seemed like eternity to Maria and Vincent. He paid no attention to her sobs and instead yelled at her to stop crying like a pussy. If anymore attention was given by the cops, then surely he would be sent to jail. Neighbors had called the cops several times, reporting screams of pain and crying. So far, Buck had managed to convince the officers that everything was fine and that they had just been watching horror movies. Stupidly enough, the officers believed him. Even Buck himself thought of the officers as idiots for believing that false story.

By the next morning, neither Maria nor Vincent could remember clearly what had happened the previous night. Maria's memories were clouded by pain and Vincent's were maimed by an overflow of emotions. Pain was all she could think about as Buck was cutting her back, while all he could process was that his emotions were returning. Vincent had been overcome with emotions that night. An emotional outcome such as that hadn't been felt in such a long time. The last time he could remember a surge of emotion was when he lost his mother at age 9. Ever since then he had locked up his emotions far away.

Though Maria knew a bit more of what had happened, all Vincent could remember last was that she was dragged into the bedroom with the door shut before he could sneak in. To him, it was obvious as to what was happening and he honestly was glad that he wasn't in there. If he had witnessed it, then he surely would have broken into tears.

The rest of the week had just consisted of Vincent accomplishing what he was hired to do. Luckily, Buck and Maria didn't interact with one another much which prevented any more beatings. Vincent followed Buck around every day, making sure to monitor his conversations and actions. He especially made sure that Buck hadn't become suspicious of their plan. During this time, Vincent discovered how much of a bastard this guy was. He had raged over a the false affair Maria was having with him, yet he himself was "trying" to cheat on her with women he thought were more beautiful. The man was truly repulsive.

Sunday night came around and Maria began packing up her remaining possessions. Vincent was currently watching Buck closely as he continued to drink at his favorite bar. As he had expected, this was yet another run down, disgusting American bar and Vincent felt ashamed to be in there, but it was his job to do so.

Vincent was, of course, disguised as he monitored Buck's actions. The man he was disguised as was quite young. He was about 25 with messy blonde hair, a green turtle neck sweater and brown pants. This form looked nothing like his original self, so it was incredibly easy to fool people. Just in case though, whenever someone, such as a waitress, spoke to him, he would imitate an American access so he wouldn't be recognized by his voice alone.

Buck sat at the bar, chatting with his friends about sports. Vincent didn't care much for sports, as the rules out right confused him and he felt that it was not something that people should waste their time on. He of course respected the players themselves for having such amazing athletic ability, but he despised the crazed fans that would cheer every time they scored.

"Looks like I should be heading home. The game starts at 8 and I don't want to miss it." Buck said as he stood up from the stool and began paying for his drinks.

'Merde, it's only 7:30! I must find a way to distract him...damn it...I can't believe I am about to do zhis.' Vincent thought, covering his face out of embarrassment and disbelief.

He slipped into the girls bathroom, invisible, but never came out. Not 10 seconds later, a beautiful blonde woman in her early twenties, wearing a short skirt and a tight tank top came out and headed towards Buck. Breasts clearly visible, the woman sat in the seat that Buck had previously sat in and tapped him on the shoulder just as he was starting to walk away. He turned around and his eyes immediately widened.

"Hey handsome, what's your name?" she said seductively.

Buck eyed the woman, particularly her large breasts, and began to turn his charming act on.

"Well, I'm Buck, what's a beautiful lady like you doing around here?"

"Oh just here for a drink and maybe to find someone to take home." she said, twirling locks of her long blonde hair as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Well I'm the guy for you. Why don't you come back to my place? My wife ain't home yet."

"You have a wife?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah, but what she don't know won't hurt her. Come on babe, whaddaya say?" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a hug.

Buck didn't notice it but the woman had a look of disgust on her face as they made contact. She was about ready to puke, but was able to hold it in for the time being.

"Hehe, sweetie, why don't we go back to my place. I don't feel comfortable going to someone else's home." she said nervously.

That definitely was not a good excuse, but was all she could think of at the moment. Her mind was constantly screaming to her 'this is wrong', but ignored it and put on a sexy facade for the repulsive man.

"Nonsense, now let's go."

He began to pull her out the door, when she promptly pulled herself free.

"I, gotta go use the restroom, excuse me."

"Fine, just hurry up." Buck said annoyed.

The woman rushed into the bathroom and quickly locked to door. A gray smoke enveloped the woman and as it disappeared, Vincent stood in her place.

"Merde...zhat a failure and extremely disturbing. 'ow am I going to distract 'im without having to 'ave sex with zhat repulsive man."

The fact that he was pulled into a hug was enough to make him wince, but considering that there was the possibility that he might have had sex with the man, or come close to it, made him shutter out of disgust.

"Ah, shit, the game's startin soon. Better get a move on. I'll just leave that bimbo here. I could always come back for her." Buck had said from outside.

The bar's door was opened and Vincent knew that it was Buck that had left. French curses left Vincent's lips as he sprinted out, cloaked, into the streets only to see Buck's car speed off. As there was no need for it, he became visible and stood there, looking at the direction Buck had gone in failure. He had failed to do his job, but more importantly he had failed to keep her out of harm's way.

"I must warn Maria." he said as he ran off to the nearest pay phone.

He hastily inserted the coins into the machine and dialed Maria's home number. He waited several seconds until the call was ultimately ended due to no answer.

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming the phone back into place.

There was no way he would be able to beat Buck there, but he had to try. Vincent sped off to Maria's house, running as fast as he could. He knew that her life could be at stake and if she died because of his mistakes, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Maria threw the last bag into her car. She had finally finished packing 4 bags, most of which contained her clothes and make up, and was ready to finally get away from this place. Just as she was entering the car, Maria heard another car come up the drive way. As soon as she saw the car, she knew she was screwed.

"Maria, where the hell are you going?!" Buck yelled from the car.

"I-I was just going to the store." she said, scared and nervous.

"Then why are there bags in the car?!"

Buck was getting increasingly angrier as he put the pieces together.

"Uh, I was just going to go visit my mom for the week."

Buck wasn't buying it.

"You're leaving me aren't you?! You ungrateful bitch!"

He got out of the car and ran towards Maria. She was pinned against the car as Buck continuously punched her head into the car. After just a few punches, Maria began to bleed from her broken nose. Both her eyes were slowly turning black and swelling up. Crying from the pain, she wondered why Vincent had failed her.

Suddenly, a knife appeared around Buck's throat causing him to panic.

"Release her!" a voice commanded.

Just as the knife had suddenly appeared, Vincent seemed to appear out of nowhere behind Buck. Responding to the man, Buck quickly released Maria and was dragged back by the surprisingly strong Spy. Vincent held the knife firmly, as to not accidentally lose grip or slit Buck's throat, though at this point he wouldn't mind a headless, dead Buck.

"Maria, go!" Vincent yelled.

"W-what?" she asked, confused.

"I said go! I will deal with 'im myself!"

Understanding his instructions, Maria nodded and got into her car, quickly speeding off to the gas station on the edge of town. With the car gone, Vincent just stood there, knife against Buck's throat, in an empty drive way void of any eyes.

Buck was left alone in Vincent's grip as Maria's car disappeared into the city streets. Glad that she was finally safe, Vincent pushed the knife closer to Buck's neck drawing blood. Buck gasped at the pain, but was entirely helpless in this position.

"You should die for what you have done to her!" Vincent hissed.

"I-I'm sorry! Just l-let me go!" he screamed, scared of death.

Hesitantly, Vincent released the hand that wrapped around Buck's chest and brought it into his suit which held a concealed gun. He was going to let him go, temporarily, but he needed a weapon to threaten him with, in case he tried to do anything. His grip on the knife was loosened slightly as he searched his jacket for his gun. Buck was able to sense the loosened grip and smirked.

Taking advantage of this, Buck grabbed the arm around his neck and, with enough force, was able to throw him over his shoulders and onto the ground, stunning him. As Vincent hit the ground, the knife slid out of his hand as well as the gun that he had just pulled out. The weapons slid to far off for Vincent or Buck to retrieve, so it seems like their fight would be purely hand to hand.

Before the drunken Buck could pin him down, Vincent quickly recovers and rolls out of the way. Hopping back onto his feet, Vincent readies himself for a fight that he had been wanting to participate in for about a week. This would feel so good.

Vincent notices that due to the alcohol, Buck's reactions are slightly delayed, meaning that he could easily take advantage of that factor. He knew that if he attempted to run for his weapons, that Buck would probably tackle him down to the ground, trapping him under his large weight. Luckily, Vincent had been trained in hand to hand combat and knew that he could take on this lug with no problem.

Buck threw his right arm, thinking it would connect with Vincent's face, but his is mistaken. The man easily dodges the sluggish punch and quickly jabs him in the stomach. Making nothing but a small 'omph,' Buck swings again, but just like the previous, misses.

For every failed punch Buck attempts, Vincent successfully pulls one off on him. After several dodges and hits, Vincent begins to slip up. Becoming cocky and thinking he would easily win this fight, Vincent's mind starts to wander, not allowing him to analyze the full situation. He fails to see that Buck had learned of his tactic and as he is attempting another dodge, Vincent is swept off of his feet.

Buck had finally learned his pattern and took advantage off the fallen man by giving him a clumsily executed drop kick onto his stomach. Unlike Vincent's hit which were swift and fairly weak, Buck's were slow and powerful. It was a good thing that Vincent had only been hit once, because if he had been hit anymore then he would have blacked out from the sheer force the man was able to achieve.

The kick might have been incredibly painful and downed any man who had received it by the sheer amount of pain, but Vincent had been trained to have a high tolerance to pain and to never succumb to it during a fight.

Vincent shakily got up and regained his composure, preparing to continue the fight. As he quickly looked around his surroundings, Vincent noticed that the two of them had moved closer to his disarmed weapons. Now it would be possible to make a short dash and retrieve one of them, but Buck mustn't see him do it. If Buck realized he was going for one of the weapons, then he would go for the other one seeing as how they had slid a decent distance apart from each other. No, he must wait for him to make a mistake.

Both injured and panting, they waited for the other to make a move. Getting impatient, Buck backed up, indicating to Vincent that this was his chance. Buck ran towards Vincent like an enraged bull, showing no signs of stopping or turning. He was set for a straight course and could not be strayed from it.

The drunken bull missed Vincent completely and tumbled to the ground as he tried to stop. Vincent had dodged out of the way and ran towards the closest weapon, the knife. Buck, having fallen to the ground, still attempting to recover, was never able to fully get up. Before he could, a knife appeared in his back, stopping his progress.

Buck gasped as his final breath left his lips. He fell to the ground, as his life slipped away. Vincent knew that this was the best thing to do. It wouldn't help just Maria, it would help him to. The man did not deserve the life he was given, and Vincent made sure that it was given back.

As he looked at the corpse lying there on the concrete, Vincent thought to himself. Now, he could pursue a relationship with Maria, though it would have to be in secret. He wouldn't be able to be around her much, but he could still be with her. The trips would need to be in secret, but who cares? Vincent knew he loved this woman and would do what ever it took to be with her and keep her happy.

He unconsciously shook his head, bringing him back from his thoughts to the matter at hand. Killing someone was no big deal for him, but the police might believe that Maria was the one to murder her husband. It would seem suspicious if she had just left town right after her husband's death. Maybe if he planted fake evidence that lead to yet another alias, then maybe she would be safe.

Luckily, Vincent was carrying a fake ID in his wallet and figured that it would be as good as any to use. Those idiot officer's wouldn't be able to tell that it was planted evidence. He took out the ID and place it in the grass next to Buck's corpse.

Vincent nodded, satisfied with his work and began walking towards the nearest bus stop. Maria was now safe. Now all that was left was to meet up with her and her son's.

"When I arrived at zhe gas station, we both confessed our love to each other. Maria knew zhat I would not be around for months at a time, but agreed to start a relationship with me." the Spy stated.

"Wow, that's one sad and happy story." May said.

She had been fully intrigued by his story, sucked into the events that had happened to this man in just one week.

"Oui. Maria 'ad some family in the Badlands, so she and 'er sons moved with in with them. On one of my visits, I 'ad been caught by what I thought was zhe police, but it turned out to be workers of RED. I had 'eard about zhe organization before, but was never interested in a job zhere. When I was offered one, I initially declined but was blackmailed into accepting. They knew of all my alias's and threatened to expose me to zhe government. At zhe time, I knew nothing of Maria's son, one whom I had never met, working for BLU so I was shocked to here that he was by the Administrator herself. She brought to my attention zhat zhe terms of my contract stated zhat I must have no contact or relationship with zhe opposing team and zhere families."

"Oh...I see." May said, listening to every word he was saying, knowing where this was going.

"I was forced to end my relationship with my petite chou-fleur..." he said, as sadness laced his voice.

"I, uh, don't mean to get a bit off topic, but why do you call her that?"

A small smile was brought to the Spy's face as he recalled his memories.

"Maria was quite fond of cauliflower and at first I used it as a form of teasing, but she quickly enjoyed zhe nickname I 'ad come up with."

"Ah, makes sense. Sorry for the interruption, but go on."

The smile faded from his face, "Zhe pictures in zhat video were taken during out final time together. We decided to 'ave one last...eh you know, before we decided to never see each other again, until I am finished with zhis job."

"I don't mean to be a downer, but seeing as how you are video game characters, that might never happen."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, now this is just all speculation, but if you guys are linked to the game more than you are individually, then this 'job' might never end. I mean you guys have been going on for like 6 years. The only thing that doesn't make sense are your memories that you all had before coming to work for RED..." she said, pondering how this all worked.

"I do not understand."

"Again it's just a theory, but the only way I could see you guys moving on with life away from RED is when the game goes offline, which wouldn't be for at least a few more years."

"Mademoiselle, you are confusing me the more you speak."

"Sorry, just thinking really."

"Understandable."

Feeling like an idiot for possibly depressing the Spy even more, May thought that it would be best if she were to leave the Spy alone.

"I, uh, I'm gonna go and leave you be. Thanks for the story and, uh, sorry about everything with you and Sco-Maria." she said, sympathetically.

"My pleasure. It is nice to talk to someone zhat would listen, every once in a while."

"Well, I'll see you around." she said, waving as she walked out of the room.

"Au revoir, mademoiselle." he called to her.

The Spy was left alone to remember his memories and ponder May's theory. His memories were painful and happy, but her theory only caused more sadness. If she was right then he might never see Maria again.

* * *

**If your wondering why the Spy never met the BLU Scout at the gas station he was...well let's just say not there at that time. He was...elsewhere.**

**So yeah I skipped the gas station scene because I just wanted to get this chapter over with. Was not having fun writing it. Felt like a completely different story and if you think about it, it really was.**

**Ok that theory might be a bit confusing so let me try to clear it up. Basically if the characters are more linked to the video game, that means they don't really have individual lives. Make sense? No? Ok...then think of it this way. Their memories of the past may be false. They might have just been programmed with memories of a life. That means that Maria, Karoline, Irene and anyone else, never existed. Even if they did (some way), the mercs would be stuck in the endless war, until the game went offline. At that point two things could either happen. Either the war (in their world) ends and they go on with the lives they previously had (meaning that everyone else does exists) or they would disappear forever. Still confused? Yeah a bit hard to explain.**

**Fun Fact:**

**Maria's children all got jobs after moving to the Badlands. They decided that they would be the ones that would provide income for their family. They wanted their mother to have a well deserved break and not have to work.**

**Buck was later found the next morning by a neighbor and just as the Spy had suspected, the police never caught on. They never figured out that the ID was fake and planted so they chased after a man who never existed for a good two years before giving up. Yeah the policemen in this world are lazy (no offense to anyone who is an officer. Just making it up for the story. I respect all officers)**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Alright I've had the idea for this chapter in my head for a while now. Figured now was a good time to use it. Might have broken canon just a little, but I think it was fine since it give a bit of comedy, kinda.**

**Just one more chapter till the story FINALLY moves to the next day. Yeah it's been one long day hasn't it? I promise it won't just keep switching to different characters every chapter, cause i can see how repetitive that can get.**

**Sewer Medic: Nope. Let's say the the BLU Scout is somewhat of an enigma. He doesn't know much of what's going on around him...**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Sentry 101**

* * *

May, was bored to say the least. She wondered around the hallway wondering what on earth she could possibly do to entertain herself. The internet was definitely out of the question, since it was not invented at this time...at least it shouldn't be. If teleporters and cloaking devices are possible here then maybe some form of the internet did exist, but there was no point in hunting it down if it did. There wasn't any phone service either, so that meant she couldn't call her parents to tell them that she was OK.

'Man mom and dad must be worried sick. I've been gone for a day. They probably think I got kidnapped. This is going to be hard to explain when I get back." she thought.

There was no need to worry about her parents at this time, seeing as how she was suppose to be having the time of her life. Being transported to one of your favorite worlds inhabited by some of your favorite characters is a dream come true. This really was a dream that had become reality.

'Hm...maybe I'll go see what the Engineer is doing. He's bound to be working on something in his workshop. Maybe I could help...ok probably not.'

May headed for the workshop, walking silently down the hall. It seemed as though no one around. She thought that they must be off either taking a nap or doing their own thing. Arriving at the workshop's door, she gave a small knock and waited for a response.

"Come in!" a kind voice said.

May entered the room and saw, just as she had predicted, the Engineer working on some kind of machine. The Engineer got up from the machine and turned around to greet May.

"Well howdy, May. You in need of anything?" he asked, scratching his head in the process.

"Nah, just don't have anything to do. Figured I might as well see if your working on anything and from the looks of it, you are." she replied, pointing at the machine that looked like a hybrid of a dispenser and sentry gun.

"Yup, this baby right here's in the beta stages, but I hope to get her up and running before long. Unfortunately the Administrator won't let me use anything but the standard machines, so I won't be able to use it for much of anything except protection around the living area."

"You guys get intruders?" she asked.

"Never had any. The BLU's never come around here. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a BLU outside of battle." he said, thinking of why that was.

"Hm...well that does seem strange. Anyways, what is that thing exactly? It looks like you smashed a dispenser and a sentry gun together." she said, pointing at the contraption.

"That's exactly what I did. I call it the Sentry Dispenser. It's not the most creative name, but it states exactly what it is. The dispenser part automatically refills the sentry when I'm away. Would be very useful in battle, but like I said, the Administrator won't allow it." he said, a bit sad at a missed opportunity.

"Yeah, I can see why. That thing would be way to overpowered." she said, thinking of how unfair that thing would be to face in the game.

"But, it would be in our favor. The Administrator must not like unbalanced fights. Strange, though if she wants us to win the war."

"Yeah...hey mind if I see you build a sentry? I've always wanted to see a real one." she said, a bit enthusiastic.

"Sure."

The Engineer walked over to another work table that held several familiar red tool boxes. He heaved one onto his shoulder's and walked over to the middle of the room, where he placed it down. Lifting the lid, the Engineer took out key parts of the sentry and an over sized monkey wrench, lying them on the floor while he quickly analyzed the pieces. He had done this process hundreds of times before, but he always wanted to make sure the sentry was put together correctly because one missed place screw could cause it to malfunction.

He started by placing the bottom stand down and then connecting the shaft to it. Piece by piece, the Engineer put a level one sentry together. He constructed the 'head' separately and once finished, he place it on the stand causing it to immediately whirl to life. It made a complete 360 degree spin, calibrating itself, then sat back into place, beeping as it monitored the area.

"Sweet. Now how does it know not to shoot me?" she asked, confused.

May had always thought that it must sense for the color red, but seeing as how she currently had a bit of red on her, that theory didn't make much sense.

"Right now its in a kind of sleep mode. It isn't programmed to shoot, just scan the area for intruders."

"Makes sense, but how does it tell who's a friend and who's an enemy?"

"Facial recognition." the Engineer stated, proudly.

"But, you and the BLU's look exactly the same..."

Now she was even more confused. May could understand the whole sleep mode thing, but how could it use facial recognition when the two teams looked exactly the same?

"We do? I've never actually seen their faces clearly and I would highly doubt that each of us looked identical to one another." he said, just as confused as she was.

"But...OK you know what? My mind has already been blown enough the past two days, so at this point anythings possible." she said, giving up on logic.

"Well now, why would you think we look just like those yellow bellied BLU's?"

"Cause in the game, you guys are identical. There's no difference other than the coloring. Besides, you saw that in the Spy's video the Heavy, Scout, Soldier, and Spy were exactly like you guys."

"Dang nabbit, I forgot about that. Remember though, there does seem to be some difference between us and that game." he said, waving his wrench.

"True...so, how do you upgrade the Sentry?"

"The what now? Oh right. The same way I put it together. Gotta add the rocket launchers and machine gun parts myself. Can be quite frustrating when in the heat of the battle."

Wondering something, May stroked her chin and decided to try something out. She grabbed the wrench from the Engineer's hand and looked at the Sentry.

"Hey, what are ya doing?!" he said, responding to the wrench that had just been stolen from him.

"I wonder..." she muttered.

Staring at the sentry, May raised her arm and gave a firm, yet not to hard, whack with the wrench. To her disappointment, nothing seemed to happen, but then she remembered something.

"Why'd you just hit the sentry?!" he yelled.

"I think your more fit to do this." she said, handing the wrench back to it's rightful owner, "Go get some metal and hit the sentry eight times."

Baffled at what the girl was doing, the Engineer decided to just go along with it, so he got up and grabbed a buck full of scrap metal. He took May's place by the sentry and did as she instructed. To his amazement, every time the sentry was hit, some metal would absorb into the gun itself. After eight hits, the sentry began to transform. The machine guns popped out like they normally did, but was achieved in a much shorter time than the Engineer was used to and using a different method.

"What in tarnation just happened?!" he yelled, bewildered that the sentry had just upgraded by simply hitting it.

"Haha! I knew it!" May screaming in triumph.

"How'd y-what just happened?!"

The Engineer, still mystified, stared at the level two sentry, as if he had never seen it before.

"You just upgraded your sentry with out taking like an hour to manually build it." she said, still proud at what she had figured out.

"But I never built that into the sentry..."

"I think it's the wrench. Didn't you ever read the instructions that came with it?"

"No. It just seemed like an ordinary wrench. Why? What's so special about it."

Slapping her hand onto her face, at the Engineer's stupidity, she began to explain what that seemingly normal wrench was capable of.

"Basically, if you have metal with you and you hit the sentry, dispenser, teleporter or what ever machine that is able to upgrade, then it will fix and upgrade buildings. It takes two hundred metal to level a machine up, but I don't know what two hundred equals."

Standing there, the Engineer scratches his head in confusion as he realizes that all those times putting his buildings together by hand, only to have them blown up or sapped before he could finish them, were all in vain. This whole time he could have just whacked them like an idiot to fix them.

"Well, that's news to me. Guess that explains how the BLU Engineer get's his buildings up so fast. Means I'm changin my strategy then. Thanks...I guess." he said, still trying to comprehend everything.

"Glad to help." May said, smiling, "Sorry if this just overwhelmed you. I was just wanting to see if it was true to the game, er, you guys were true to the game, sorry."

"It's fine. I understand that you knew about that game long before you met us. So, uh, what else can I do in the game that I may not know about."

"Well..." she said, recalling all the knowledge she had of Team Fortress, "Nothing I can really think of right now. You would have to show me or tell me how you do stuff. Other than that major one I just told you about, I don't think there's anything different that you might do."

"Alright, guess that's enough mind blowing information for now." he said, rubbing his temples.

"Yeah, hey want to know an interesting bit of trivia?"

"Uh, sure why not." he replied, unsure if it was more information that would make him feel like an idiot.

May pulled her phone out from her bag and began searching for the picture she was searching for. Finding it, she held the device up to the Engineer so he could look at the picture that included his virtual self on it.

The picture was the Engineer's official biography that was sitting on Valve's Team Fortress website. It included his motto, a short profile, and job description.

"Is that your favorite equation right there?" she asked as he looked at it.

"Yeah, not sure what it does, but I love that equation." he said, wondering why he liked a mysterious equation such as that.

"Well, that's the equation that's used to program the lighting in the game. Neat, huh?"

"I guess that solves another mystery of my life." he said, completely brain dead now.

May put her phone away into her pocket, thinking of what to say.

"You know it would probably be best if I let you be, right?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but if you would. I need time to process all of this." he said, gesturing to the sentry.

"No problem, but what do you guys do for fun? I'm bored." she said, bluntly.

"We each do what we consider 'fun.' Personally I like to work on new inventions in here, but what the others do...I don't really keep track of. Why don't you go find someone to talk to. I'm sure they won't mind...well it depends on who you talk to. I suggest not bothering the Soldier, Heavy and Pyro."

"Trust me, I know not to bother them." she said, putting her hands in front of her chest to prove her point.

The Engineer laughed, "Well, off you go I guess. I'll see you later May."

He returned back to his Sentry Dispenser machine, attempting to concentrate on his work, but his ability to concentrate was lacking. He couldn't believe that a 17 year old girl could figure out a more efficient way to build his own machines than he could. He figured that it serves him right for chucking the abnormal instruction booklet that had came with the wrench. At the time, he thought it odd for a simple wrench to come with booklet that told him how to use it. He assumed that it was for dummies who didn't know how to build a simple box.

May walked out of the workshop and down the hallway, once again having nowhere to go. Maybe now was a good time to go visit the Medic.

Waling towards the medical bay, she told herself that she wouldn't bring up anything about Karoline or question him about it. The only questions she would allow herself was current information that had to do with his equipment and how it works. She was determined not to remind him of his past, once more.

* * *

**I had to make the Engineer feel stupid at some point :D**

**Fun Fact:**

**The Engineer never reads instruction booklets. He thinks he can always figure everything out. Well look where that got him...**

**The Adminsitrator won't let him use his own inventions because she wouldn't really be able to get the blueprints over to the BLU's. Sure she has an insane amount of power and influence, but the BLU Engineer is not as smart as the RED, so he might not be able to comprehend the invention...Plus again, overpowered machine much?**

**The idea of the sentry dispenser came from the scraped node building that would have replaced teleporters. It was suppose to heal the Engineer's building while he was away.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Gah! I love this chapter. Maybe it's because I can see this as being a bit of a guilty pleasure, but it's sweet. I may have broken the Medic's character (the canon one) but I really don't care if I did. This chapter was so much fun to write and easier than most, even if the wording isn't the best with words repeating alot.**

**And 20th chapter. Woo? Anyway enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Medi Gun's and Archimedes**

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"Kommen." the german calmly said.

The door opened with a creak as May walked in and looked at the Medic, who was sitting at his desk looking over some notes. He looked just like he had before, lacking his coat which showed the tan vest he wore underneath. Joseph looked up, acknowledging her presence with a slight smile.

"Hallo Frau May. Vhat brings you here?" he said, organizing his notes in the process.

"Just wanted to talk I guess. Is that OK?" she said, a bit nervous to be there.

"Ja, but I am just looking over some notes, so zhere is not much here."

"Well...is it OK if you maybe, possibly take a break and show me how the medi gun works?" she said, with a big grin on her face.

May had always loved the medi gun and seeing it in action would just be a dream come true.

"Vell, I vas trying to work on an experiment I was planning on doing, but I zhink zhat can wait." he said, with a smile.

"Yes! But, I really don't want to distract you from work. Are you sure it's OK?" she asked, worried that she was getting on his nerves.

"Ja, a break every once and a vhile is nice and it's nice to teach someone who is interested in mein technology."

"Thanks!"

He nodded his head,"Now was zhere a specific one you vere vanting to see?"

"How about the standard medi gun?"

"Ja, I can do zhat."

The Medic walked over to a large cabinet that was placed near the door. Opening it, May saw that it was full of all of the Medic's weapons. The bottom shelf consisted of the medi guns, the second had the syringe guns (including the crusader's crossbow), and the top shelf held all his different bone saws. He took the medi gun and it's backpack off of the bottom shelf and slipped it on. Once he got the straps buckled, the Medic turned around holding the nozzle, pointing it at May.

"Now, I assume you know zhe basics?"

"If you mean how to use it then no. I only know how it works in the game with a mouse."

"Vell, first do you feel tired of drain in zhe slightest?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The Medic pointed the barrel straight at her and flicked a switch. The backpack began to whirl slightly, rumbling as it powered up. Once fully powered, the Medic pushed the handle forward and let the stream of healing hit May right in the chest.

The feeling she felt was incredible. The beam was nice and warm and instead of making her even sleepier, it instead rejuvenated her instantly. She felt like she could run a mile with no problem.

"This feels amazing!" she shouted, embracing the warm beam.

"Ja, it does. Zhat feeling on zhe battlefield feels like heaven to my commerads. At least zhat's vhat I've been told." he said, lowering the barrel causing the beam to dissipate.

For a few seconds, a faint glow of red aura stayed around May's body. During that time, she felt as though she could do anything, but once it disappeared, she was back to her normal self, still energized, but not as much.

"That is the single best invention ever. It's even better than cloaking and teleportation." May stated.

"Danke, zhat is a very kind thing to say." he said, proud of his invention.

"I'm serious. Having the ability to heal people is just incredible"

"Ja, but it cannot heal certain diseases and missing body parts such as zhe Demoman's eye. It only heals short term injuries." he said, admitting the flaws.

"Who cares? Have a broken bone? Bam healed! Bleeding to death? Bam healed! Rocket explode in your face? Bam healed!"

The Medic laughed, "Zhat is true. Now vould you like to try it?"

May's eyes beamed with excitement.

"Would I ever!" she yelled.

The Medic slipped the backpack off of his shoulders and handed the entire machine to May. Figuring out which strap went where, she put the machine on and held the gun just as the Medic had.

"Ok, so what do I do?"

"It is still on so point zhe barrel towards me and push forward on zhe handle."

May did as instructed and pushed the handle just as she had seen the Medic do. Activating the beam, May was met with a surprise knock back that almost made her loose her balance.

"Holy crap, I was not expecting a knock back." she said, placing the handle back down.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention zhat."

"Eh, it's fine. I'll expect it this time." she said, focusing back on the Medic.

Ready this time, she pulled the lever forward, allowing the healing beam to pour out of the gun. May flinched slightly from the knock back, but stayed steady on her feet.

"Good, now just focus on me for about a minute until zhe Ubercharge is at one hundred percent." he said, standing perfectly still as the light swirled around him.

"Gotcha." she replied.

As she waited for the gauge to feel, May could only think of how happy this made her. She was wielding a real working medi gun. Only in her fantasy's had this ever happened, but now it had become reality. The whole time she beamed a smile, as the gun continued to over heal the Medic.

Suddenly, the tip of the barrel began to sparkle as a red electricity was emitted, indicating a full Uber.

"I've got an Uber." she said.

"Good, now flick zhe switch next to zhe meter."

She did as he instructed and the Medic was suddenly emitting in a shiny red glow. Amazed, May walked forward, while still keeping focus on the Medic. She inspected him, as if she had never seen an Uber before and really, she hadn't. In the game it was really just a complete covering head to toe, but here, it was different. While he was covered in a red glow that was indeed shiny, it looked more realistic. You could faintly make out the colors of his clothes and hair and the light was more of a light than a coating. The shininess wasn't as fake looking, as it was really more of a glow.

May continued to inspect him, with a bewildered look on his face, when the Uber reached it's ten second limit. Immediately, the Medic was back to normal, which caused May to jump back. The change hadn't even occurred within a second. One millisecond he was covered in red and the next he was back to normal.

"And zhat vas an Uber. Of course vithout zhe Uber technology, you cannot utilize zhe ability."

"Yeah, I know and please don't perform surgery on me. I don't mean to doubt your skills, but from the video...I don't want Archimedes in my chest. Hey speaking of Archimedes, where is he?"

"Ah, Archimedes is back in mein room vith zhe others." he said, pointing to the door that led to his room.

"I'm surprised that they aren't flying around this room." she said, chuckling.

"Vould you like to meet zhem?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"Sure." she replied, enthusiastically.

The Medic walked to the door and opened it slightly, sticking his head into the room.

"Archimedes, Hippocrates, Plato." he says, whistling after calling their names.

Three doves come flying out of the room, above the Medic's head. The two pure white ones sit on the mounted medi gun near the operation table, while the one bloodstained one perches on its master's shoulder.

"Aww, their so cute. I'm guessing that's Archimedes." she said, pointing over to the one covered in dried blood, which almost made him look even cuter.

"Ja, Archimedes adore's blood. I keep a little tub in zhere for vhen he feels like having a blood bath." he said, May laughing at the words 'blood bath.'

The Medic walks forward, putting his hand up to the little dove, allowing him to hop onto his extended fingers.

"Vould you like to hold him?" he asked, petting the dove with his index finger.

May nodded, and the Medic told her to hold her hand out just as his was. She did so as he moved his hand closer to hers, where Archimedes could easily hop onto May's.

_Coo!_

Gently petting the small dove, May watched him jerk around like birds do, watching the world around them.

"Aww, you are so sweet." she muttered to the dove in a baby voice.

"Ja, he is mein favorite one." the Medic said, smiling sweetly as he watched Archimedes nuzzle against May's finger.

"You know, I don't know much about the mathematician Archimedes, but I've always loved the name. It really fits this little dove."

"Archimedes is one of mein idols and I agree zhat it is a vonderful name. Zhat's vhy I named him zhat."

Petting him once more, May handed Archimedes back to his rightful owner. The Medic placed him with his other bird buddies onto of the medi gun, allowing them to perch there in peace. Looking at the birds, May spoke to the Medic.

"You know, your not as sadistic and crazy as you have been made out to be. Your really quite nice."

"Vell I can assure you zhat my commerads do not see zhis side."

"I figured as much. Guess you can't let them think your a softie." she said, smirking.

"Ja, and if you would, bitte don't tell zhem." he said.

"I promise I won't. You have my word."

He nodded, "And thank you, May."

"For promising not to tell anyone?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Ja, but also for listening about Karolin. It really helped me."

"Oh, well your welcome. Honestly I was planning on not bringing that up. I didn't want to hurt you anymore." she said, frowning.

"I am not planning to. I just wanted to say thank you for, really, just you. I had my doubts at first, but you turned out to be a kind and polite girl. Normally I am not in favor of kids, but you are an exception." he said, smiling.

"Well, I'm not really a kid. I'm 17 you know. More of a young adult." May said, 'correcting' him

"Despite being younger zhan Herr Scout, you are much more mature." he said, chuckling.

"Anyone is more mature than he is." she said, returning his laughter.

_Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!_

The two looked at what had produced the noise, an old german cuckoo clock. The clock read 11:00, much to May's surprise.

"Man, I didn't know it was that late. I should probably head off to...uh, do I have to sleep on a table again?" she said, unsure of what the sleeping situation was.

"Nein, zhere is an extra room zhat vas suppose to be used by Herr Sniper, but he sleeps in his van. If you vant you can use zhat as your room vhile you are here."

"That'd be great." she said, happy that she would get a bed tonight.

"Gut, I'll show you vhere it is." he said, walking towards the door with May in suit.

The spare room was actually quite close to the medical bay, in fact it was the door next to it. The door opened without a squeak and May saw a room that looked as though it had never been touched. Everything was in place, having never been moved, with a stack of sheets neatly folded in the center of the twin bed.

"You should get some sleep. You vill need zhe energy for training tomorrow."

"Training? I really have to fight on Monday don't I?" she asked, scared at the thought.

"Ja, unfortunately."

"But why? Can't I just stay here while you guys are out fighting the BLU's?"

"Nein, you see a group of people sent by zhe Administrator come everyday ve fight and scan zhe area vhile zhey are cleaning. Zhey know every nook and cranny of zhis place, so hiding wouldn't do you any good. We do not know if zhe Administrator is already aware of your presence, but if you were to be found, zhen she would know for sure and we can't let zhat happen. Ve don't know vhat she vould do to you, so ve can't risk it."

"But...I can't fight. I can't aim a weapon meaning I'll be useless and I'm not hooked up to the respawn meaning I'll DIE!" she whined.

Grimace lined his face, "I think Herr Engineer might be able to hook you up."

"Ok there's two things wrong with this plan. One, if I go out there and fight, won't the Administrator see me anyway? Two, won't I be a dead giveaway to the BLU's?" she pointed out.

May was scared of death and pain. She absolutely hated pain and tried to avoid it at all costs. The one time she broke her arm was one that she would never forget. Her fore arm had popped out of place, which made her fear the worse. At the time she thought her arm would be useless and she would never be able to do sports again. The pain was horrible, making her cry in an attempt to ease the pain. If she thought that was bad, she couldn't imagine being shot, blown up, back stabbed, head shot or burned, especially to death.

"Ja, she can see zhe battlefield and vill notice you, but not if you are disguised."

"What?"

"Look, ve vill discuss zhis tomorrow. Zhere is much to prepare for, but now is not zhe time. Have a good night."

And with that, the Medic walked out the door and back to the medical bay to finish looking over those notes.

'Oh god, what if Engie can't hook me up to respawn? I'm going to die here...'

With fear and worry lacing her thoughts as she laid in the bed, slowly, she managed to fall asleep, waiting for tomorrow to come in hopes that it would lessen her worries.

* * *

**I might have made a mistake in whether or not May knew that she would have to fight. I couldn't remember if she had been told or not and was to lazy to go back and check. Curse my laziness...**

**Also, the Medic thanking her for being herself was worded really weird. I couldn't think of another way to describe why he was thankful.**

**So the way the medi gun activates and works was taken directly from Meet the Medic, even though it was the quick-fix in that video.**

**I apologize if the Ubercharge description is a bit odd. Was having trouble describing it, but you'll have to take it for what it is.**

**Fun Fact:**

**As most of you probably know, Archimedes and the others were obtained when the Medic stole a catering van from the prime minister of god knows where.**

**The healing mixture used in the medi gun was shown how it was made in a Meet the Medic deleted scene, go check it out. An yes I know being deleted probably makes it non canon but screw it, I consider it canon.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: WOOHOO! AS OF THIS CHAPTER, THIS STORY HAS REACHED OVER 10,000 VIEWS! YAY! THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS TOO! THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS STORY!**

**Back to business, I have started going back and revising chapters. Currently 1-7 have been revised. Some have barely been touched, but others receive a heavy overhaul. Chapter 4 received lengthy character descriptions, which isn't necessary, but I suggest going back and at least skimming through. Chapter 2 does need to be read quickly again though. I added something that would be a bit important later on, and change Emil's name back to Emile. Yeah bet you all forgot about his, didn't you?**

**Also going back and deleting any "Unnecessary" authors notes and sentences. Grammar formatting, capitalization and spelling have all been improved to the best of my ability. Things have been added and taken out, depending on its importance.**

**Because I'm in the middle of revising, there may be some inconsistency with certain things, so I apologize if something may seem one way in one chapter and another in a later chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Disguise Kit Shenanigans **

* * *

"Maggots! Get your asses out of bed!"

Yup, that was the Soldier making his daily wake up calls. Sleepily, May looked at the clock, its bright red numbers reading 5:00. Only the Soldier was crazy enough to go around, yelling at men who killed for a living. Frustrated and tired, she inadvertently yelled out loud.

"Oh my god! Shut Up!"

Not realizing how loud she was, the Soldier suddenly stopped his screaming and began running towards the room that commanded him to be quiet. Happy that he had stopped, May nestled back into the sheets, when she heard footsteps approaching her room. Her eyes shot open as she realized what she had just done.

"Oh crap..."

The door flung open and an angry Soldier stood in the doorway, beaming in anger at the lazy girl, still lying in bed. He marched over to the bedside, grabbed the sheets, and swiftly pulled them off, leaving a cold May in her place.

"I commanded you to get out of bed, and you defy me by talking back! Run twenty laps around the gym, immediately, maggot!" the Soldier commanded.

A bit frightened, May didn't respond as her mind was contemplating what to do. One side told her to just obey him, while the other wanted her to stand up to him. A thought came into her mind, one that would prevent her from having to run laps. She sat up and looked the Soldier right in the eye.

"No." she firmly stated.

"What did you just say to me, maggot!" he said, angry that this girl was not obeying him.

"I said, no." May said, grinning this time.

She obviously had a trick up her sleeve, but the Soldier was to oblivious to notice it.

"You will follow my orders, maggot!" he said, even angrier than before, if that was even possible.

"You realize you can't really force me to do anything, right." she said, grinning smugly.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I am your superior! You will follow my orders, or you will be punished!"

"How? The only way you can force me to do anything is by threatening me and I'm pretty sure that at least three men in this building would not be happy if you hurt me."

The Soldier stood there in silence, putting the pieces together. Finally he realized that if he hurt the girl, the other mercenaries would beat him to a pulp. His face turned from that of shock to, strangely, proudness.

"Hehe, clever girl..." he said, grinning, "Just know I'll be back, if you ever get out of line, maggot!"

With his final word always having to be maggot, he marched out the door and continued screaming down the hallway.

"Wow, did he just compliment me? Well, that's certainly a first." she muttered.

May forced herself to get out of bed, since there was no way she was getting back to sleep now. She sleepily walked over to the dresser and opened one to the drawers, only to realize that she had no spare clothes.

'Aw man...I forgot about that. Eugh, I feel nasty in these clothes. I've been wearing them for two days, making this the third, I guess. I really need a change of clothes and a shower.' she thought.

Luckily, she wouldn't have to shower in the locker room with most of the others. It seems the rooms intended for the support class, and the Engineer, were fitted with personal bathrooms. For the Medic and Engineer, May could see why that was so, but not for the Spy or Sniper. It wasn't like they had anything really special to do, but hey, she shouldn't complain that she got a private bathroom.

* * *

To, May, that shower was heaven. Never had a shower felt so good. Maybe it was because of the fact that she hadn't taken one for 4 days or because it allowed her to clear her mind.

As she stood there in the warm water, she began think how absurd this whole situation really was.

'OK, so I'm in the world of Team Fortress, which I'm not sure is even real. This could just be part of the game, who knows. Maybe everyone here is just super complicated programs, again I don't know. Hm...If this is just part of the game, does that mean that worlds of other games exist? Does that mean Pokemon exist?! Holy crap, that would be awesome!'

With the strayed thought of real Pokemon, May got out of the shower and put on the same clothes, reminding her of how dirty they were.

'Eww, I really need to find a washer and borrow some temporary clothes.'

Hair dried as much at it could be, May walked out of the room and head to the rec room in order to find some food. Walking down the hallway, she could smell the scent of delicious bacon, causing her stomach to growl even more. Entering the room, May notice that everyone was already in there having breakfast. The Engineer, who had been reading the paper, noticed May walk in and greeted her.

"Mornin' May." he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

His greeting cause the others, excluding Soldier and Pyro, to look her way and wave.

"Hey, guys. Good morning." she replied, waving back, "So, any breakfast left?"

"Of course."

The Engineer got up from his seat and headed over to the stove, which was full of battered pans that looked like they had been used to bash someones head in.

"I'm guessing you guys don't cook much, from the look of those frying pans." she said.

"Nah, but since we had a guest, we agreed that it was best to give her a proper meal. The Spy told me about your whole mess with the Heavy's steak." he said, chuckling.

"Hehe...yeah..." she replied, awkwardly.

The Engineer handed her a plate of bacon and eggs, that looked absolutely perfect in May's eyes. She licked her lips and took a seat at one of the tables with the Heavy, Medic and Sniper. Lifting the fork that held an entire piece of bacon, May bit into it and felt her taste buds melt. This was the single most delicious piece of bacon she had ever tasted.

"Oh my god this is really, really good. Who made this?"

"Yours, truly." the Engineer replied.

"I'm not kidding when I say that this is the best bacon that I have ever eaten." she said, shoving another mouthful of food into her mouth.

"Well, I'm famous back home for being able to turn any livin' creature into a delicious meal. I'm surprised I still have the skill to do so, to be honest. I haven't cooked in so long, not since we got here."

Swallowing, May asked, "I don't recall seeing any bacon and eggs in the fridge yesterday. Where did they come from?"

"I just drove down to town and picked up some groceries."

"There's a store that's open before 5 in the morning and sells fresh eggs and bacon?" she asked, confused.

"There's a daily farmers market that opens up at four. Guarantees its freshness." he replied.

Quickly shoveling down the rest of her food, May stared at the empty plate, wishing for more, but decided not to ask him to make anymore. She got up, placed her plate in the sink, then sat back down at her seat, with nothing more to do.

The Medic seemed to be explaining the Uber technology to the Heavy. His frustrated tone implied that this had not been the first time they had this conversation.

"For zhe hundredth time Herr Heavy, vhen an ubered medi gun connects vith zhe machine attached to your heart, it transforms all zhe blood in your system. Your blood becomes a protective shield and as a side effect, glows brightly. Do you understand now?"

"Nyet. If blood transforms, then why can it not stay transformed?" he asked in confusion.

"Zhe beam must be connected to it and zhe medi gun can only make an Uber last for a ten seconds, vith out draining its power, reverting zhe gauge back to zero."

"Makes sense, but how does blood become shield?"

"I have told you, zhat I do not know how, so bitte, stop asking." he replied, rubbing his forehead to try and appease his headache.

"But-"

"Nein! No more questions!" the Medic, yelled.

He couldn't take the questions anymore. The man was his friend, but he often acted like a child, which wasn't something the Medic could tolerate to much. His questions were always idiotic ones or ones that he was unable to answer. With his little tolerance to children, it was odd that he had no problem with May. In fact, he actually liked the girl.

The Heavy, surprised by his sudden outburst, got up and left without a word. He could take a hint that he was getting on the doctor's nerves, so he decided that it was best to leave him alone.

The Medic sat there, exasperated, with a killer headache. Hand on his forehead, he just looked at the table, until May spoke.

"Hey, you OK? That outburst was pretty out of place." she said.

Turning his head, he saw the girl who seemed to be concerned with his well being.

"I thought you guys were friends?" she asked.

"Ja, it's just zhat, Herr Heavy acts like a child sometimes and I do not tolerate children well. Zhey ask to many stupid questions."

"Well, I could be considered a child and I ask a lot of stupid questions." she said, confused.

"You, mein Fraulein, are an exception." he said, smiling at her.

Touched by this, May smiled back, glad that someone she likes, actually liked her back.

"So, how's the day going to go? Don't I need to train or something?" she asked.

"Ja, you need to choose a set of weapons to take into battle. Ve vill do zhat in a few minutes. I understand zhat you know vere zhe training field is?"

"Yeah, I mean you did see me there practicing with the Sniper."

"Ja. I vill get zhe Engineer to come vith us to help you choose vhich veapons you vant to use. Vhat ever you choose, zhe owner will teach you how to properly use zhem."

"Does this mean I don't have to use the same weapons, as say, the Scout?"

He nodded, "Since you do not have a contract here, stating which kinds of veapons you are to use, you are free to choose anything."

"Haha, yes! Hey, what about respawn? I really don't want to die. Plus, if I do, you'll probably just use my body to experiment on." she said, scared of what he could do.

"Nein, I only do zhat vith zhe enemy. I vill talk to Herr Engineer and see vhat he can do. Hopefully, he vill be able to link you to zhe system."

"I hope so..."

It was really in May's best interest NOT to die. While it wouldn't be such a horrible way to go, knowing her luck, it would probably be something embarrassing, like shooting herself.

"Ve should probably get going vith zhe day. I vill go talk to Herr Engineer. Ve vill meet you at zhe training field."

With that, the Medic got up and head towards the workshop. May sat there for a second, wondering what she should do to prepare.

"G'day."

"Augh!" May screamed, startled by the sudden voice.

She turned her head to see the Sniper sitting next to her, remembering that he had been there the whole time.

"God, you scared the crap out of me!" she said, holding her chest.

"I didn't mean to, Shelia. Sorry bout that." the Sniper said.

"I can be a bit jumpy, so remember that."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to make my presence noticeable. Don't want to be loike Spook, who goes around popping up outta nowhere."

"Yeah, that can get a bit creepy sometimes."

"Did, someone mention me?" a voice said, coming from no one.

"Augh! God damn it Spy!" May yelled, startled again.

"Zhose are not words a lady should use." he said, uncloaking and sitting down in the seat in front of them.

"In my defense, I don't cuss much. I just have a habit of using damn sometimes."

"Well, zhat is a habit you should break." the Spy said, lighting a cigarette.

"You know, you really shouldn't smoke indoors." May nagged him.

"And you shouldn't swear." he said, grinning.

"Touche..."

"Alrioght Spook, what do you want." the Sniper asked, annoyed.

"I just wanted to see if I could be of assistance to Mademoiselle May." he said, releasing some smoke.

"Well, I was going to need to head down to the training field soon. Would you two like to come?"

"As much as I despise zhe bushman, I will accompany you."

"Same here."

"Great! Let's go then."

The three of them got up from the table and headed for the training field.

* * *

Walking along the seemingly endless desert, May started complaining of the scorching heat.

"It's so hot...I'm sweating like a pig. How on earth are you tolerating the heat in that suit, Spy?!"

"This is the weather everyday here." the Sniper said.

"It is not so bad. As long as I ignore zhe heat, I won't feel it."

"For you maybe. Your the master of the mind." the Sniper said, taking his hat off to fan himself.

"Wait, Sniper aren't you used to the heat? Didn't you live in the Outback?"

"I did, but I never said I loiked the heat."

"Zhat's sad for zhe, so called, Austrailian bushman."

"Can it Spook! Let's just keep walking. We can take a break in the weapons shed when we get there."

"That sounds like a good idea. You know what would be really nice right now? A nice cold pool. What I wouldn't give to be able to jump into some water right now." May said, fantasizing a pool appearing right in front of her.

"Well there is a pool back in Teufort, but were not allowed in there anymore." the Sniper confessed.

"What did you guys do?"

"Its a long story..." the Spy said.

"Well It was your fault!" the Sniper yelled.

"I'm sorry, but I was not aware of zhe rules!"

"Oh come on! You-"

"Non, we are not speaking of zhis now!"

"Ok then..." May said.

They continued to walk along the stretch of desert, finally being able to see the training field off in the distance. All May could think about was the heat, the blistering heat that was almost to much for her to handle.

"How does the Pyro not fry himself alive in that suit?" she asked, confused

"I am not sure. Admittedly I wouldn't be able to handle being in zhat suit when it's a hundred degrees out. I do not know how zhat zhing does not get 'eat stroke."

"Maybe there's a fan or something in there, but I really don't care at this point."

* * *

After a ten minute walk, that seemed to take twice as long, the trio finally arrived at the training field, where May ran inside to the shed.

"Oh thank god this thing is air conditioned!" she said, putting her back against the vent.

"According to the paper, it's suppose to be hotter tomorrow." the Sniper said, as he and the Spy walked in to feel the cool blast of air.

"Damn it..." she muttered.

"May, watch your language." the Spy said.

"Oh, shut up..."

Taken back a bit by her sudden retaliation, the Spy's eyes became wide for a split second before returning to normal.

"Howdy, May."

"Oh, hey guys. I didn't even see you there."

The Engineer and Medic had been standing near the rack of weapons, while May had run to the vent on the window on a wall adjacent to the racks.

"You ready to choose your weapons?" the Engineer asked.

"I think I have most of them picked out, but I still need to think. You said I don't really have a limit, right?"

"Ja, whatever you can carry vith you, you can use." the Medic confirmed.

"OK, I know a few I definitely want."

"Ja, but first, remember vhen I said zhat you vere going to be disguised?"

"Yeah, you never really told me h- using the disguise kit, isn't it." she said, slapping her hand against her head, "Stupid!"

"As you know though, normally if you attack while disguised, you lose the disguise, but seeing as how you aren't in need of really following any rules...I have tampered with one of the Spy's extra disguise kits." the Engineer said, pulling out a normal looking kit from his pocket.

The Spy's nostrils flared. No one was to ever touch his stuff.

"You messed with my gadgets, without my permission?!" he whined.

"Look, do you really want to have to explain why there was a dead girl out on the field to the Administrator?" the Engineer said.

May tensed up at the thought of her, lying dead in the middle of the battlefield. It certainly wasn't a pleasant image.

"Non, but it would have been a better idea if you asked me first. What did you do to it anyway?"

"I made it so, the disguise does not fade, unless the holder were to either loose the kit or manually deactivate the disguise."

"I'm impressed, laborer. Zhat is a nice modification. Too bad I am unable to use it." he said, shrugging.

"Well, it wasn't meant for you, it was meant for May." he said, handing the kit to her, "Go on, try it out."

May opened the kit and recalled how she had worked it before. Shuffling through the options, she thought about who she should disguise as this time. Choosing her selection, Red smoke instantly surrounded her and when it dissipated, May no longer stood there.

"Glad to see you didn't choose me again, Shelia." the Sniper said.

"But did you 'ave to choose moi?"

May had been turned into an exact duplicate of the RED Spy, with the exception of having more facial expressions than the real Spy did.

"I just wanted to mess with you." May said, looking at her new, temporary form, "Hey, shouldn't I be in blue clothing?"

"I also made it so that you disguised as one of us, and not of a BLU." the Engineer proudly said.

"Wait, wait, wait...didn't you say that you have never really seen what the BLU's look like, except for their clothing?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, well...Spy can you explain that?"

"Non, zhe disguise kit came as programmed. I am still not aware of what zhe BLU team looks like." he said, just as confused.

"Ok, that makes no sense whatsoever." May said, deciding not to think of the matter any further.

"Ma Cheri, It's quite disturbing 'earing your voice coming out of my body." the Spy said.

"Yeah, is there a way to disguise my voice? I mean I can sort of mimic your responses from the game, but only the accents and tone. I'm unable to actually change my voice.

"Zhere is an option to modify your voice, but I tend not to. I 'ave always mimicked my team mates perfectly, except on the off occasion I decide to make fun of them." he said, grinning at the Engineer.

"Can you activate it for me?" May said, still in the Spy's form.

"Of course, just hand me the disguise kit." the Spy said, extending his arm out.

May handed the kit to the Spy, causing the disguise to instantly vanish when the kit left her person. Checking herself over, May remembered something.

"Hey is there anyway I can get a change of clothes?" she asked, looking at her dirtied clothes.

"Vell you vould have to vear some of our clothes, which would be too big, but I zhink we can figure somezhing out." the Medic said.

"It is done." the Spy said, handing the kit back to May.

Just like before, May chose her disguise as a red smoke enveloped her. Standing in her place, once the smoke cleared, was a smirking man.

"Oh come on, why'd you have to choose me?! It's bloody creepy!"

"I bet it's even creepier when I talk exactly loike you, mate." she said, in a flawless impersonation.

"Yes! Will ya please stop? It's really bloody creepy!"

"Nah, I don't think so. You should take it as a compliment. I really loike your voice and accent. Its fun to screw around with." she said, staring Sniper to Sniper.

"Well, it seems as if everything is working correctly. Now you just need to act like whoever you disguise as." the Spy said, skeptical that she would be able to do so.

May looked down at the disguise kit and fiddled with it once more, this time turning into Spy.

"I do not zhink zhat would be a problem."

She pushed another button and changed into the Scout.

"Hey, chuckleheads, hurry up! I'm runnin circles around ya!" she shouted, running in place, using yet another impeccable impression.

Another press of a button, and she was the Soldier.

"Get down and do 50, Maggot!"

"Ok, ok we get it." the Sniper said.

_Fwoosh!_

"Oi! Don't tell me what to do! How do I know you're not that bloody Spook?!" she said, getting up in his face as part of the act.

"Seriously! Bloody creepy!" the Sniper shouted, staring into his own eyes through the yellow glasses.

His duplicate smirking, she messed with the kit and once again turned into the Spy. She walked over to the Spy, smirking.

"I zhink I 'ave proven my abilites, gentlemen." she said, addressing the men in the shed.

Finally, she lost the disguise and was back to her normal self, still grinning.

"Ok, that was too much fun." she said, laughing.

"I must say, your acting abilities are quite good." the Spy said.

"Nah, not really. I just know you guys to well."

"Regardless, zhat will come in handy later on. Just don't get carried away with it." the Spy warned.

"Fine, I won't." she said, a bit sad that she wasn't allowed to mess with anyone, especially the Sniper.

"Good to see that it works fine, now you just need to see what happens when you attack." the Engineer said.

May nodded and transformed again, but this time into the Medic.

"Ok, ok hold on. I have alvays vanted to do zhis." she said, in her own personality.

May lifted her arm up and grabbed the red glove, "It is time for your examination!" she pulled the glove down and let go, causing a slapping noise.

"Haha, zhat's was great. Flawless execution." May said, grinning evilly towards the Medic, causing a bit of a worried look to appear on his face.

"Uh, May, I zhink your getting a carried avay." he said.

"Oops, sorry about zhat. Vas just having some fun."

"Herr Sniper is right. It is disturbing having a conversation vith yourself." he said, staring at the duplicate.

"I told ya!" the Sniper yelled, his point been proven.

"OK May, here ya go. Now try attacking one of us." the Engineer said, handing her a bonesaw.

Trying to be in character, May smiled sadistically at the Sniper.

"I'm going to saw through your bones!" she yelled, lunging at him.

"Bloody hell!" he screamed, dodging the attack just in time.

"Come over here, I promise I vill heal you!" she yelled, attempting another attack, but missing as the Sniper dodged it yet again.

Blood thirst filled her eyes. She was no longer acting. May really wanted to harm the Sniper. Seeing his blood shed would please her. She lunged at him again, waiting for the bonesaw to make contact with his skin.

"May!"

The Medic's command snapped her back into reality.

_Clank!_

The bonesaw dropped to the ground. She froze, wide eyed and mouth open as she realized her intent. That wasn't acting anymore, she really wanted to murder the Sniper for pleasure. She was speechless, unable to think or speak clearly.

May felt a hand on her, no, the Medic's shoulder. She turned around and deactivated the disguise as she saw it was the real Medic who had brought her back. Still shocked by her actions, May managed to speak through her incoherent thoughts.

"I, uh...I guess that was Schadenfreude..." she muttered to him.

"Ja, it can be quite scary. Vhat I don't understand is vhy you underwent it." he said, curious as to what this girl was truly like.

"I, uh, I'm not entirely sure, but I've always thought I had a sadistic side..."

"How so?" he asked.

"When I was little, I used to enjoy catching little lizards and slowly killing and torturing them. I would finish by screwing a bolt through their brain...Even now I find joy in the misfortune of others...I guess I've always been like that, but it never showed until now, when I was given the opportunity to actually kill another person..."

"Ah, I zhink you should go apologize to Herr Sniper. He is a bit shaken up."

May looked around the room and saw the other men staring at her in disbelief. Even the Spy had allowed some emotion to seep through his hard exterior. The Sniper was up against the wall, staring at her in fear. He never knew that she could act like it and it scared him when he saw how serious she had been about murdering him. Being a man hardened by the outdoors, it was embaressing for him to be pinned up against the wall in fear of a 17 year old girl.

She walked over to him, guilty and disappointed with herself, and placed her hand on his shoulder. He flinched, thinking that she might do something awful to him.

"I'm so sorry about that ." she said, head hung down.

"Mr. Mundy? Now where did that come from." he asked, confused.

"Oh, sorry, its a bit of a habit. I normally refer to adults like that if I'm apologizing to them. Really though, I'm really sorry about what I just tried to do to you."

"Remember I told you Mr. Mundy was my father." he said, smiling slightly.

Though still feeling horrible, May smiled back, "Right the one who thinks your a crazed gunman."

"Oi! You don't have to bring that up!" he shouted.

A small laugh escaped her lips, giving the Sniper and idea of how to cheer her up.

"All my son does is going around shooting people down! He's a crazed gunman, not an assassin like he claims himself to be! He's bloody mad!" the Sniper said, in a deeper voice that was suppose to sound like his dad.

The Spy just rolled his eyes at the Sniper who was making a fool of himself, but May on the other hand was falling over laughing.

"Do more impersonations!" she yelled, laughing.

"Zhe Sniper is a repulsive bushman, who is in no way polite, as he calls himself. I on zhe ozher 'and act like an asshole of a gentlemen, to everyone around me." he said.

"Zhat was zhe worst french accent I 'ave ever 'eard!" the Spy shouted.

Now instead of being annoyed, he was mad. The Sniper had just insulted him. He didn't care if it was to cheer the girl up, all that mattered was that he hated him even more now.

The Sniper started to mimic, horribly, the Spy's laugh, snorting constantly. May was on the ground, curled up, laughing so hard that it hurt.

"Haha, OK please make him stop! This is really, haha, starting to hurt! Haha!"

"Gladly." the annoyed Spy said.

He walked over to the Sniper and punched him right in the jaw with enough force to push him to the ground. The Sniper immediately shut up, and was now mad.

"Oi! What was that for?!" he yelled, rubbing his jaw.

"Zhat, was for insulting me and your 'orrible French accent. Zhat was a mockery to me and my people." the Spy calmly stated, fixing his suit.

"I was trying to cheer the Sheila up!" the Sniper protested.

"Zhen do anyzhing except mimic me."

Though he wanted to punch that no good Spook back to France, he didn't really want to get into a fight. The last time he and the Spy had gotten into a fight, he ended up with a knife in his back. Being back stabbed in battle was already his least favorite way to die, but having their own Spy do it was just insulting. Instead, he just ignored the Spy and bent down to help May back up.

"Ok, that was just priceless. Thanks Sniper, I really needed that." May said, giving him a hug.

The Sniper flinched at the sudden hug, but quickly hugged the girl back.

"No worries, Shelia." he said, as a smile spread across his face.

"Ahem, I zhink we should get on with zhe day." the annoyed Spy interrupted.

"You know Spy? Your such a kill joy." May said, smiling at the Spy.

"It is what I do." he replied.

"Now, are we done with this whole fiasco?" the Engineer said.

"Ja, I zhink ve should continue on. It seems as zhough zhe disguise kit works properly." the Medic said.

"Yup, works perfectly." she said.

"May, you need to choose what weapons you want to use." the Engineer reminded her.

"Right, OK let me see..."

May looked at the rack of weapons. There were so many to choose from. So many different varieties that it would take her a while to make her decision. This was definitely going to be harder than she thought.

* * *

**The whole time May screws around with the disguise kit had to be my favorite moment in the story. I was literally bursting out laughing while writing it, because I could just picture that scene. Seriously though, having a disguise kit would be a blast, even if it only had the TF2 characters loaded into it. You could still go around screwing with people's minds.**

**Fun Fact:**

**May does have to ability to disguise as both RED and BLU members, but didn't realize it at first.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Remember how in the last chapter, the Spy and Sniper briefly mentioned that they got kicked out of the town pool? Well, that's why this chapter is a few days late. I was working on a short story of it, explaning what the Spy did and how it went before they were banned. It's a humerous read, go check it out. Trust me it is much better than it sounds...especially the ending...*laughs evilly*... wait why am I laughing?**

**Got up to chapter nine in the revisions. These mad minor changes in it, so I don't think it's needed to go back. I think for the time being, I'll skip over 10 (the Medic's story) just because I was content with the way it had turned out and that it's the longest chapter, clocking in at over 8,000 words.**

**NOTE: I know absolutely nothing about guns, so I bound to have made mistakes. Please don't criticize me if I got something wrong.**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Training**

* * *

"I think I've made my decisions." May said, grabbing the weapons off the wall.

After looking over all the weapons displayed on the rack and taking her skills into account, May eliminated a majority of them. Any gun that had powerful knock backs, such as the shotguns, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle. The mini guns were immediately eliminated, because there was no way she would be able to tote that thing around. Due to May's fear of burning herself, flamethrowers were out of the question as well, considering she was not going to put on that asbestos lined suit for protection. With most of weapons not doing her any good, she had a limited selection, which she finally choose 4 from.

The first of these was the Kritzkreig. As much as she wanted to use the Medi Gun, she knew that it would seem odd if she had activated an Uber that didn't affect her. Because of that, she thought it to be best to use either the Krtizkreig or the Quick-Fix, but ultimately chose the Kritzkreig.

The second was not a weapon, as it was more of a gadget. May chose to use the Cloak and Dagger for two specific reasons. One was that, if she were ever to get into a sticky situation and needed to hide, she would just have to activate the watch and hide in a corner until help arrived. Another was that, she just really wanted to use it. When you have the option to have the power on invisibility strapped to your wrist, wouldn't you choose to use it?

For the first actual weapon, May chose the Syringe Gun, because she thought it's knock back was not to great. The Syringe Gun also held 40 syringes in it, so she wouldn't have to reload too often. Even if they didn't cause much damage, that was still a possibility of the enemy becoming a pincushion with 40 needles sticking out of them. Being able to hold down the trigger and having a barrage of needle fly out was a plus for the girl who lacked the ability to aim correctly.

The third, was a melee weapon, the Kukri. May had looked at all the melee weapons and ruled out the Demoman's swords, just because she wouldn't be able to carry it around. The Spy's knife's were a little two small for her tastes, and she didn't think she would be going around back stabbing. First, she thought that the Kukri would be too heavy to wield, but it was actually surprisingly light when she picked it up.

The final weapon was a simple pistol. She needed a gun that was more precise than the Syringe Gun, and being a weapon that could easily fit in her pocket, it was an easy choice.

With her arsenal complete, along with the disguise kit, she headed out to the training field where the rest of the mercenaries were waiting.

* * *

"Hey, when did the rest of you guys get here?" May asked, walking out of the shed with the weapons in hand, glasses already on in preparation.

"Jus' a few minutes ago. The Engineer called us up here, cause he didn't know which weapons ye be choosin, lass." the Demoman replied.

"Well, I only chose one's from the Spy, Medic, Sniper and a pistol. Sorry guys, but I can't handle most of your weapons. If you want, I guess you could go back to the base."

"Nah, lass. We be wantin t-"

"This cupcake should not be out on the battlefield!" the Soldier interrupted.

"Herr Soldier, as much as ve don't want her to, she has to." the Medic calmly stated.

"Girls do not belong in war, they be-"

"Soldier!" the Medic shouted.

The Soldier stopped yelling, but May was already aware of what he was going to say. A mischievous plan came to her mind, so she whispered to the Medic, asking him to distract the Soldier for a second.

"Herr Soldier, look there's a hippie over there!" the Medic shouted, pointing somewhere behind the Soldier.

"Where?!" he yelled, turning around, looking for a hippie that didn't exist.

_Fwoosh!_

"Hey, I don't see any h-"

"Drop and give me 20, maggot!"

The Soldier immediately followed his own command. He dropped to the floor and began pumping out push ups. Halfway through he realized something.

"Wait a minute..." he muttered.

He ceased his push ups and got up, looking straight into his own face, which seemed to have found something comical. Finally, the other him couldn't hold it in any longer and busted out into laughter as his form changed. The Soldier was now looking at May, who was really the one laughing at him.

"Soldier, your such an idiot." she said, laughing.

He looked around and saw that his team mates were also laughing at him. The Spy slightly snorted, trying to contain his laughter, while the other's weren't even trying to hold it in.

"Haha! She got you good, chucklehead!" the Scout said, taunting the Soldier.

"No one fools me!" The Soldier said, lunging at May.

Panicking, she had just enough time to avoid him, but he kept on trying to grab her for revenge. May fiddled with the watch until she finally activated the cloaking, disappearing right in front of the Soldier's eyes.

"Where the hell did she go?!" he said, frantically searching around, waiting for the watch to run out of power.

Ten seconds passed and there was still no sign of May.

"Where is she?!" the Soldier yelled in frustration.

"Its seems a zhough she 'as zhe Cloak and Dagger. She won't be coming out anytime soon." the Spy stated.

"Actually, I'm right here ya moron." a voice said.

The Soldier looked over in the direction the voice came from, but only saw the Scout.

"Scout! Stop, screwing around!" he yelled.

"Hey, moron, I'm over here!" an identical voice yelled.

He looked once again, and this time saw...the Scout.

"What the hell?!" the Soldier shouted, confused and looking between the two Scout's.

"Again, your and idiot, Soldier." the first Scout said, as smoke began to envelop his body.

May revealed herself, causing the Soldier to become even more furious.

"You are not to humiliate your superiors, maggot!" he screamed.

"Soldier, why don't you go back to zhe base." the Spy suggested.

"Not until this m-"

"Jane Doe! I order you to go back to the base!" the Engineer yelled.

Shocked by the unusually stern tone of the Engineer, the Soldier glared at him, but an order was an order, so he complied. The Soldier marched back to the base, mumbling curses under his breath.

"May, you should not abuse zhe disguise kit..." the Spy said, glaring at her.

"Sorry, I was just having some fun..." she said.

"I do 'ave to admitted zhough, zhat was quite amusing." the Spy said, with a small smile.

"Hey, I had to stand up to the Soldier. He doesn't respect women and I had to do something."

"Yeah, the Soldier can be a bit of a thickhead sometimes. I think we should get to training though, May." the Engineer said.

"Oh, right. Let's begin, I guess." she said, picking up the weapons she had dropped when evading the Soldier.

"So, you said you had the Spy's, Sniper's, and Medic's weapons, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, those and a pistol."

"I can help you with the pistol." the Engineer turned to the other men, "Ya'll can go back if you want."

The Heavy was the Pyro were the only other one's to leave, everyone else decided to stay and watch the girl practice.

* * *

"Alright, what do you want to start with, May?"

"Hm...why don't we start with the Syringe gun? I already know how to use the Cloak and Dagger and I'm assuming the Kritzkrieg works the same as the medi gun." she said, looking over to the medic for confirmation.

"Ja, zhe uber just inflicts criticals." the Medic replied.

"I've been mean to ask something...how the heck do crits work? Like, where do they come from?"

"Well, you see, critical hits occur when a bullet, or rocket, or whatever projectile that is fired from the gun, is manufactured differently. Their errors in manufacturing, instead of becoming duds, make them extra strong." the Engineer explained.

"OK, I can sort of see how that would work for rockets, but not bullets. And how does that work for melee weapons?" she asked, really confused.

"For something, like my wrench, a critical just depends on the way and how hard I swing it."

"OK...you know what? I'm not going to ask anymore. I'll just get even more confused." she said, still trying to wrap her head around the concept.

"I zhink ve should move on. I assume you know of zhe arch zhe Syringe Gun creates?" the Medic said, picking the gun up from the pile of weapons.

"Yeah, I've more or less learned how to deal with it...in the game." May said, smiling sheepishly.

"Vell, do you know how to reload?"

"No, all I know is how it works. I don't know how to actually shoot it though..."

He held the gun in front of her and pulled out the container sticking out of the back.

"Zhis contains forty syringes. Vhen it is empty, all you have to do is pull it out and replace it."

The Medic took an identical canister out of one his pockets and shoved it back into the gun. He turned around and took aim at a wooden cut out off the BLU Medic and fired away. Syringes flew at a high rate towards the target, piercing the wooden material right in the abdomen. Already having fired the forty syringes, he quickly refilled the gun.

"Schweinhund..." he muttered to the cut out, giving the gun to May.

"Now, aim for zhe head and replace zhe ammo vhen zhere is no more."

The Medic handed a canister to May, who shoved it into her pocket. Taking aim at the target, with the gun in both her hands, she carefully aimed. She made sure to think about the arc and aimed up a little ways. Pushing the trigger, the syringes fired out of the barrel with a little push back that wasn't to much for her to handle. For a second, May thought that she was going to hit the head of the target, but it seemed as though she missed completely. Every syringe sailed over the wooden cut outs head, landing on the ground in a useless pile.

"Crap, I aimed to high." she said, clumsily refilling the gun, "By the time I finish reloading, I'll be dead."

"Practice makes perfect." the Medic said.

Trying once more, May adjusted her aim and fired away, this time successfully hitting the target.

"Well, that was better." she said.

"Gut, now you just have to hit a moving target." the Medic said, gesturing for the Scout to come forward.

"Aw, fu..."

"May, remember what I told you..." the Spy said.

"Yeah, yeah I know..."

"Now, just hit zhe Scout a few times." the Medic said.

"You really want me to hit him?! You realize he jumps all over the place like crazy, right?!" she replied, looking at the Medic as if he were crazy.

"Zhere vill be another Scout zhat you might come in contact with." he said, proving his point.

"..."

"Try and hit me!" the Scout yelled, running back and forth.

Slightly mad, May followed the gun with the Scout's movements, waiting for the time to strike. Remembering the slight delay it took of the syringes to reach its target, she aimed in front of the Scout and fired away.

"Ow! Those things freakin hurt!" the Scout screamed, pulling a few syringes out from his arm.

"Zhat vas good, May. You don't seem as bad as you zhought."

"Nope, still horrible, it was a lucky shot." she said, her self confidence low as always.

"Why, don't you try the pistol out?" the Engineer interrupted.

"Sure."

May went to the pile of weapons and grabbed the pistol. Being a weapon that the Engineer was familiar with, he swapped places with the Medic and began to teach her the basics.

"This here is just a normal ol' gun. Go ahead and try it out." the Engineer said.

Holding the gun with her right hand and supporting it with her left, May aimed for the same target. Pulling the trigger, May was shocked by the amount of knock back the little gun had. She let go of it by surprise, allowing it to flip out of her hand and onto the ground.

"Whoa, I did not expect it to be that powerful."

"Think you can handle it if you try again?" the Engineer questioned.

"I'll try." she said, picking the pistol back up and aiming once again.

Grasping the handle tightly, preparing for a knock back, May pulled the trigger, putting a bullet in the cut out's head.

"That was a good shot." the Engineer complimented.

"Uh, I was aiming for his chest." May admitted.

"That was still a fine shot, lass." the Demoman said.

"So, if I want to shoot someone in the head, I just need to aim for their chest? Yeah, makes total sense." she said, sarcastically.

"Hey, whatever works." the Engineer said, shrugging.

"So, I think I've got the basics down for all except the Kritzkrieg." she turned to the Medic, "Does it work the same way as the Medi Gun?"

"Ja, it is identical."

"Alright then, I think I've got that one down for the most part. Now, I just need to practice with it."

"Zhen ve need a victim." he said, a slight tone of malice in his voice.

"I can provide zhat." the Spy said, pulling something out from his jacket.

Quickly, the Spy whipped out a revolver and promptly shot the Sniper in the leg. The Spy's movement was to fast for the Sniper to detect, which didn't allow him to take action. The bullet having shattered his knee cap, The sniper collapses to the ground, clutching his bleeding leg.

"WOT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" the Sniper screamed in anger directed at the Spy.

"Zhat was pay back for earlier." He said, storing his gun away.

"DID YOU HAVE TO SHOOT ME IN THE BLEEDIN KNEE CAP?!"

May began to chuckle as she was reminded of a certain video.

"Wot's so funny?!" he yelled in anger at May.

"Hahaha! How were those sheep back in Alice Springs, Sniper?"

"Wot the blo-...How do you know about that?!" he yelled, angry, but now confused.

She burst out laughing, unable to contain it. This was to perfect, and May was unable to resist asking more.

"And what about those prostitutes and Bangkok?"

While the rest of the mercenaries stood there, confused as to what the girl was talking about, the Sniper sat there, seething with anger and pain.

"HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"

"Eh, let's just say I heard it from you." she said with a smirk.

"Wot the...Just fix me up already!" he screamed, holding his knee, wincing in pain.

"OK, OK."

May aimed for the Sniper and pushed the handle forward, releasing the healing beam. The Sniper could feel his knee cap being pieced back together as the pain subsided. Testing it out, he moved his leg back and forth. Deciding it was fully healed, he got up off of the ground and stormed over to the Spy.

"So, you like your prostitute's cheap, huh Lawrence?" the Spy said, lighting a cigarette.

"That is none of your business, Spook!" he angrily replied.

This time, the Spy was the one not to see it coming. An intense pain was shot though the Spy's crotch, causing him to fall to the ground into a fetal position. The Sniper had swiftly kicked him with the pointed tip of his boot. He stood over the Spy, smirking at his revenge.

"Zhat...was cheap." the Spy moaned.

"Well, so was shooting me in the leg, ya wanka!"

He left the Spy to recover from the pain and headed over to May, still mad.

"Where the bloody hell did you learn that?!" he bellowed.

"Uh, the internet." she responded, intimidated by the towering figure and his rage.

"Who told you!"

"I already said that it was you."

"That doesn't make any bloody sense!" he screamed, confused.

"Fine, it was the guy who voices you, OK?" she said, backing up out of fear.

"Well, what the fuck would he know about me?!"

The Sniper was becoming impatient and more confused. He wanted answers now, and the girl was not giving any to him. She was just confusing him even more.

"I-I don't know. It was just some interview where he kept in character and responded to questions, OK? I don't know everything." she said, voice cracking from the intimidation he was giving off.

"Well, from what I've heard, you seem to!"

"I-I'm sorry, OK?"

"You should learn to think before you speak!"

May was about to break into tears. She had yet again screwed up. That's all she ever seemed to do. The sniper was furious with her, all because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Why did she always have to say the wrong things?

She looked at the Sniper's face. It was filled with anger and embarrassment. Normally, he was laid back and didn't respond much to anything, unless it was the Spy, but when someone pissed him off, he blew his top off.

The Medic saw the girls face and knew what was happening. He needed to stop the Sniper from saddening her further, even if it was partially her fault.

"Herr Sniper!" he yelled.

The Sniper turned around, his gaze leaving May.

"You should know zhe fraulien is sensitve."

"But sh-"

"Yes, it vas uncalled for, but she is just a child."

May could here the two bickering, but didn't care. She pushed it too far again. Now the Sniper was going to be mad at her for spilling all that information with the others around. After the Medic, she didn't want to anger anyone else.

Being around the mercenaries had an influence on the way she thought. She didn't seem to think through what was coming out of her mouth. Any bit of information that came to her mind, she blurted out. She should have just kept it to herself, but no, she had to spout off that embarrassing fact.

May did not want to cry around the remaining mercenaries. She didn't want to be here right now. All she wanted was to be left alone to her thoughts. With this in mind, she slipped off the Kritzkrieg, and sprinted towards the base as tears formed in her eyes. No one would be there to disturb her for a while. She knew the Heavy, Soldier and Pyro didn't like her anyways, so they wouldn't bother her. At least she would have some time to herself before someone came looking for her.

"May!" the Medic called.

He received no response as the girl continued to run off into the desert.

"Verdammnt! See vhat you did!"

"Wot? It's not my fault that she is so emotional!"

"Nein, but you should not have yelled at her so fiercely." the Medic said, chastising the Sniper for his actions.

"She mentioned Bow!"

An inquisitive look appeared on the Medic's face, that he quickly shook back into the stern look he previously had.

"No matter, you just hurt her feelings. Remember you vere zhe one who found her after I had...you know." he said, not wanting to remember his outburst.

Recalling the girl crying, the Sniper suddenly felt bad for his actions, though he was still slightly angry. Full of guilt, the Sniper scratched his head, thinking of what he should do.

"I guess that was wrong to do."

"Ja."

"I'm, uh, I'm going to go apologize. I'll see you all later."

The Sniper set off after her, with the feeling that an emotional talk was about to take place. Generally, he hated listening to people spill their emotions, but he had a feeling that it would, unfortunately, involve himself as well.

* * *

**May's a bit of a wimp isn't she?**

**No, there's not going to be a long Sniper back story, just saying that now.**

**Confused about the sheep, prostitutes, and knee? Well, it was from a panel that John Patrick Lowrie (the Sniper's voice actor) did where part of it he kept in character the entire time, answering questions about his childhood and other stuff. You should check it out, I guarantee you'll bust out laughing from the responses.**

**Fun Fact: **

**Originally I was going to have the Sniper yell, "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU SHOT ME IN THE BLEEDIN LEG, YA WANKA!" but it just didn't seem to fit right to me. I really wanted to put that in but...it was a bit out of place.**


	23. Chapter 23

**`A/N: I hate this chapter...this is a really badly written chapter. I had so many problems with it. Couldn't figure out what to do or have them say.**

**I love the Sniper an am mad at myself for giving him such a horrible chapter. I was trying not to make him sound sophisticated like the Spy does, but for some reason I was having a lot of trouble with it.**

**You can guarantee there will be a revision of this chapter soon. I just wanted to finish it as fast as I could, because this is just a train wreck. Sorry everyone, I promise the next chapter will be better**

**P.S. I was writing this and realized that this could be taken another way other than friendship...NO IT IS NOT! DON'T THINK THAT BECAUSE THAT IS WRONG! I ALREADY SAY I WILL NOT DO A MAYX(INSERT MERCENARY HERE)!**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Be Polite**

* * *

Damn it, she screwed up again. Why did her self confidence have to be so low. All she ever did was doubt herself and her abilities. True, her ability to aim correctly was sorely lacking, but she never believed in herself. Maybe it was because the times she had, she acted cocky which almost always resulted in her defeat.

Though she didn't like to admit it, she was timid. She seemed to shy away from people at times, and was always afraid to ask someone something, fearing that she was bothering them. In actuality, she had many fears, most of .

May had run back to the room she had been given. On the way back, she hadn't seen the mercenaries who had returned to the base. For once, she was glad, because if the Soldier were to see her, he would have just criticized her more.

She sat, curled up, on the bed, crying for a moronic reason. The tough exterior she always considered herself to have was always so easily shattered. When her feelings were hurt, she would always wallow in her own self pity. It was not something she was proud of.

* * *

"Where could she be?" the Sniper asked himself.

He was walking through the base, keeping an eye and ear out for the girl. As he was searching, he came across the Soldier and Heavy, who were playing cards. If it were anyone else, except the Pyro, he would have asked for some help, but he knew those two wouldn't care.

Walking down the hall, he listened closely to each room as he passed by. Getting closer to the medical bay, he heard the faint sound of crying. Looking at the rooms, he realized that she must have taken residents in the room that was originally intended for himself.

_Knock, knock!_

"Oi, Shelia, you in there?"

The crying stopped, but he heard the sound of rustling bed sheets. He checked the door knob and was surprised to see it unlocked. For someone who didn't want to be bothered, it certainly was strange why she didn't lock the door. Opening the door and looking in the room, the Sniper saw nothing. He searched for the girl, but couldn't find her. It finally struck him that she still had the Cloak and Dagger with her and was probably hiding somewhere.

"Come on out, I know your there."

May faded into visibility on the bed, still curled up with her head between her knees.

"I-I'm sorry..." she said, sadly.

"Your not the one who should be sorry, I am." he said, walking over to her.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Look, Shelia, the way I acted was unprofessional. I was just shocked at what you knew. I'm sorry, it's my fault." the Sniper said, sitting on the opposite side of the bed.

"No, I should have kept my mouth shut."

Tears were still falling, but weren't visible to the Sniper. May still covered her face with the rest of her body.

"Ya need to stop blaming yourself for everything. Most of the time it's not just your fault. Sometimes its others, loike myself."

She sniffed, "Aren't you mad at me?"

Hearing the Sniper say that it was her fault, created a bright spot in the stormy clouds.

"Maybe a little, but I'm more mad at myself for losing control and hurting your feelings."

May lifted her head up and looked at the tears were still fresh on her face from her puffy, red eyes. She wiped them away and smiled slightly. The Sniper confessing his feelings were something she was not expecting. The hardened Australian was not one to express his feelings to others. Admitting them to her, made her feel special.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really. I feel terrible about it. Is there anyway I can make it up to you, Shelia?"

"I don't know, whatever you want." she replied, not wanting to ask the wrong thing.

"I was hoping you could give me a choice."

"I-I just don't want to ask something I shouldn't.."

"Fine then, I'll ask the questions myself."

"You d-"

"What's my relationship with my parents like? I love my mum dearly, but my dad thinks I'm a crazed gunman. I haven't been able to convince him that I'm an assassin. Every time I call home, Dad picks up and nags me about my profession. He never let's me talk to mum, and the conversation always ends in frustration. Dad always wanted for me to be a flower arranger loike he was, but I wasn't going to arrange no bloody flowers. I think that's why he disapproves of my job, because I didn't do what he wanted me to do."

"Come on, you don't h-"

"What about the sheep? True, I had relationships with sheep, but they were the only things back in Alice Springs. It was either them or nothing. They were great help when washing my car. Didn't have to use sponges, all I needed was to use them and the car would look brand new. It was a great relationship...until our family got into trouble. Dad made her into dinner one day...broke my heart..." he said, sadly remembering how delicious she really was.

"Sniper, seriously, you don't have t-"

"Why do I like my prostitutes cheap? Because I get more bang for my buck."

May smiled at the joke. It was working. The Sniper was cheering her up with his sudden outburst of confessions.

"Haha, OK really Sni-"

"How'd I get to become an assassin? I used to just hunt animals in the outback out of enjoyment, but it was never as exciting as it should have been. The rush when I shot a croc' wasn't there. One day I got a job offer to snipe some guy for a large amount of money. When I saw the number of zero's on that check, I couldn't turn it down. The first time I murdered someone, a rush of adrenaline had pumped through my body. After that, I began to accept more and more assassination jobs. RED eventually heard of me and offered me a job here. They promised me an endless supply of human game, something I couldn't turn down. When I-"

"Sniper! Stop!"

Taken back by her commanding tone, the Sniper raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"I thought you like answers?" he questioned.

"I do, but you really don't have to do this. You already apologized."

"Well, I just wanted to make it up to you, Shelia." he said, smiling.

"Thanks, Sniper."

She lovingly punched him in the arm, smiling as she did so.

"Oi!"

The Sniper pushed her back, albeit a bit forcefully, causing her to fall off of the bed. Instead of crying out in pain of hitting the concrete floor, she laughed. The Sniper stood over her and extended a hand out to her. She gladly took it to help herself up.

Both were laughing, glad to have patched everything all up.

"You know something, Shelia? I normally don't like being around other people, but you I do."

"Really?" she asked in surprise..

The Sniper was known for being a hardened loner. He was used to being secluded for hours at a time, in fact he preferred it. Staying away from other people was part of his personality, but suddenly he enjoyed being around this girl. Her company was nice, and she was a great kid.

"Really, you should take that as a compliment."

"I know, considering your the loner of the group."

"Well, anyways I enjoy your company."

"I enjoy yours too and, thanks."

She wrapped her arms around his waist in a friendly hug. He jumped, surprised by the sudden action, but soon he accepted it. He was not a man who like contact with others, but this girl was fond of him and actually thanking him for doing something. Most people tended to shrug off his rare acts of kindness, but she didn't. She openly welcomed it and it was something he whole heartily appreciated.

The Sniper returned the hug with a warm smile on his face.

"No problem, May.

"Hey, you didn't call me sheila." she noticed.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, I just got used to you calling me that."

"Well, which do you prefer."

"I think I like Shelia. It's got a bit of charm to it, mate" she said grinning.

"Shelia it is then. Why don't we go back out to the others. I'm sure their worried about you, Shelia."

"Sure."

The two walked out of the room and proceed down the hall. May and Mundy, glad to have apologized, walked along the hall enjoying each others company as they searched for the mercenaries they left back in the training field.

* * *

**Again, I apologize for how terrible this chapter was. in the near future, I will be going back and revising this heavily. I just wanted to get on with the story. Sorry for any disappointments :/**

**Fun Fact:**

**The Sniper's first three girlfriends were sheep named Bow, Ba, and Betty. (couldn't come up with a good one...)**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: OK, I really have been slacking. Been busy and Steam has taken up most of my free time, so sorry bout that. Need I say the Summer sale has depleted my Steam Wallet?**

**Not sure what I was going to do next, but I decided on this. Kind of a spur of the moment idea, so I'll see how it turns out. Also not entirely happy with the writing in this one...**

**Had some serious writers block on this story, so I gave it a break for a bit. Wrote a short story based on "Bad Medicine" that you guys should go check out. The title is "Leben und Tod". It's my favorite story that I've written so far. Most of it, other than the "dream" was stuff I came up with, so there is some originality in it.**

**P.S. Incoming crappy chapter name.**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Knowledge**

* * *

It didn't take long for the Sniper and May to find the other mercenaries. The two had walked into the rec room and saw that they had returned from the training field. Instead of being greeted by happy hello's, the two were faced with a frowning Engineer.

"What's wrong?" May asked, clueless of why he was frowning.

"We're being relocated to Dustbowl." he replied.

"What?! You're joking!" she cried out.

"No joke here. The Administrator just contacted us and said that it was at the request of Blutarch that we be moved to Dustbowl, tonight, by train."

"Uh, won't there be some problems with me being an extra passenger?" she asked, worried.

"Exactly. That's what we're trying to figure out."

"You mean you haven't come up with a plan yet?"

"Nope."

May stood there for a second, thinking of how to accomplish the task. Remembering the Spy's gadgets, she thought of a somewhat obvious plan.

"Wait, what if I just sneak onto the train and stay invisible the entire time?"

The Engineer slapped his forehead for not coming up with such a simple idea.

"Why did I not think of that earlier?"

"Eh, don't know, but you think it would work?"

"Yeah, I guess that's as good as any other plan. We move out at 6 tonight, which gives you about one hour to get ready, since it takes and hour to drive to the train station."

"I don't really have anything other than my bag remember?"

"Guess your right...well I've gotta go pack up my sentries and tools. I'll see you before we leave for the station."

"Alright, see ya."

The Engineer walked past her and down the hall to his workshop, grumbling as he opened and shut the door.

"Well, this is a surprise, huh Shelia?"

"Holy freakin- I forgot you were next to me..." she said, jumping back, startled at his voice.

"Ya gotta start remembering this stuff."

"I swear, sometimes your just like the Spy." she said, grinning.

"Oy! Don't compare me to Spook! Me and him are nothing like each other!" he yelled, offended at the comparison.

"Sorry, maybe it's just because I get distracted sometimes and don't remember what's going on around me."

"Just don't call me a Spy, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Hey, don't you need to get ready like everyone else?"

Since they had entered the room, the mercenaries had been trickling out of the room to go gather their belongings. Each one seemed to be angry at the sudden location change they were being forced to do.

"Nah, all my stuff's in me van."

"Hehe, you mean the Mundymobile..." she said, giggling at the nickname.

"Where did that come from?! That's a horrible name!" he yelled.

"Haha! Sorry, sorry. It's just from something I remember."

"Well don't call her that again!"

"Her? Seriously, who gives their cars genders?" she asked, still laughing.

"The Engineer calls his truck Betsy." he said, in a 'matter of fact' tone.

"Figures...you know what, let's just drop this. Word of advice though, don't tell the Spy about that name."

"Why would I tell him that anyways?"

"I don't know, just trust me."

"Foine...well, I have somethings to take care of before we leave."

"Hey, how does your van get to other places any how?"

"I drive her to the locations, which means I have to leave earlier than the others. Actually, I should be leaving in a few minutes, so I'll see you there."

the Sniper jokingly rustled her hair, causing her to smile.

"Come on, I don't like that." she said, pushing his hand away.

"Then that's somethin I can annoy you with." he said, laughing.

"Look, just go already. I'll see you at Dustbowl." she said, pushing him towards the door.

"Alroigt, Shelia. You don't have to push me, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah, just go."

"Foine, see ya later."

"Bye."

* * *

With nothing to do, May sat on the couch, bored out of her mind. At least she had some music to pass the time, but it wasn't as entertaining as the internet was. Unfortunately, the internet didn't really exist in this place, so there wasn't anything she could do.

With music flowing through her ears and a comfortable couch, May quickly nodded off. It seemed that just a second later, however, someone grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake.

"May, get up. It's time to go." said the Texan.

"Ugh, I'm to sleepy."' she replied, attempting to go back to sleep.

"Maggot, you will get up!" the Soldier yelled, grabbing her shirt and pulling her forward, forcing her to stand.

"I'm up, I'm up!" she yelled, obeying his command.

"Now March outside and report for roll call!"

"OK, OK!"

She proceed to run through the hall until she reached the exit door. Stepping outside, she saw the remaining mercenaries crowded around what she assumed was the Engineer's truck. The truck was filled with everyone's bags, which differed in style depending on who it belonged to.

"Hey guys! So, what's the plan?" she said, causing everyone to turn around.

"Ah, good evening mademoiselle. Zhe plan is just as you 'ad said. You are going to be using zhe Cloak and Dagger to remain invisible for zhe entire ride." the Spy said.

"Sounds good to me." she replied.

"You still have zhe watch, non?" he asked, slightly worried that the girl had lost his possession.

"Yeah, it's right here." she said, pulling the watch out of her pocket and strapping it to her wrist.

"Tres bien. Now, I suggest activating zhe watch when we get near zhe station. For now, we need to all board zhe laborer's truck."

"Wait, everyone's fitting into that thing?" she asked, not believing that 8 men and her would fit.

"Oui. It will be fine. You and zhe Scout will sit behind the Engineer and I, while everyone else sits in zhe truck's bed."

"Wow, well OK then."

May climbed into the truck and squeezed herself behind the passenger's seat. Once she was situated, everyone else began to sit in their designated spot with the Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Medic and Heavy cramming into the truck bed, quite uncomfortably. The Scout climbed in the back with May as the Engineer started the vehicle up. With everyone ready, they headed off to the station in silence.

* * *

"We're about five minutes from the station, May. I suggest goin invisible right about now." the Engineer said, driving down a barren road.

She could see the barely visible station off on the horizon and took the Engineer's advice and turned the watch on.

"Remember not to move to much, or it will deplete zhe battery and a faint outline can be seen." the Spy stated.

"Got it." she said, giving a thumbs up, but remembering that no one could see it.

* * *

They arrived at the station not much later and began getting off and collecting their belongings. Thinking it was best not to move, May stood still until she saw the Spy gesture for her to get out. Climbing out, she made sure to keep an eye on the battery, which was one bar short now, but quickly refilled as she stood still

The mercenaries walked off to the platform with an invisible May following close behind. Already having arrived, the men began to bored the train with the Spy and May in the back of the line.

"I suggest getting in front of me." he said quietly, staring straight in front of himself.

With out a word, he stepped back a bit and allowed May to squeeze between him and the Pyro. Accidentally bumping the Pyro, he turned around and looked right at her. Panicking, May looked at the watch thinking the watch had run out of energy. Much to her relief, though, it hadn't. With all the Spy checking it must do, May thought that the Pyro might have a sixth sense to detected cloaked or disguised Spies.

The train car was of a fairly small size. it only held two rows of 4 seats and a small rack above for suitcases and other things. Choosing an empty seat, May sat down in silence, making sure not to move or make a sound.

Ready to go, everyone was waiting for the train to begin its journey. They sat there for a few minutes, but the train didn't move an inch. Impatient, the Scout shouted out like he always did.

"Oh come on! Get a move on already!"

"Not just yet, Mr. Monforte." said a cold voice.

May jumped at a voice that was all to familiar commanding voice. The voice was however, not one she wished to here, knowing who it belonged to.

"Ah, Bonsoir madam. May I ask what you are doing here?" the Spy calmly said.

"Good evening Spy. I assume you all know why I am here?"

"No ma'am." the Engineer said nervously.

"I know about our little stowaway."

May tensed up. How did she know that she was on here? She had been fully invisible unless...

"I don't believe I know what your talking about, ma'am." the Engineer replied, unable to mask the lie.

"Don't play dumb with me Mr. Conagher. I know about the girl." she said, crossing her arms and staring in disapproval at his lie.

"Damn it..." the Engineer muttered.

"You can come out now." she commanded.

Scared, May uncloaked and got up from the seat, standing in the aisle. She saw the woman standing in the door way with her hands behind her back. Her entire attire, aside from the black shoes, consisted of varying shades of purple, showing her command over both teams. Black hair with streaks of grey sat upon her head, which was almost always accompanied by a scowling face.

"Uh, hello ma'am." she greeted, her voice cracking in fear.

"Hello, May." she replied with a hint on anger.

"How do yo-"

"I know everything that goes on in that base. I have known of you since you arrived here."

May opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off from the Administrator answering her unspoken question.

"Why didn't I contact the RED's before? Well, what fun would that be?" she said, a devilish smile came to her face.

"Uh, wh-what are you going to do to me?" she stuttered.

"For the time being, nothing."

A hint of relief came to May.

"At least, not until I see you fight."

The relief was thrown out of the window.

"Wh-what are you saying?" she asked.

"I'm saying I have a proposition that you cannot refuse."

May gulped and nodded her head, wanting to hear more of this deal.

"I monitored your training earlier today and have seen that you are decent with certain weapons. The weapons you have chosen earlier today will be used in tomorrow's battle. You will fight and if you do poorly, then you shall face the consequences, but as long as you do well and the RED's win, then I will allow you to go back home once the machine is ready."

"How long have you known?" the Engineer interrupted.

The Administrator shot him a glance, silencing him.

"Longer than you have Mr. Conagher. I have connections with certain people that know of the entire truth."

"Uh, who are these people." May bravely asked.

She looked at May with the same glare, causing her to gasp, scared that she might have said the wrong thing.

"That is confidential, but I assure you they are people you know of from your home." she said sternly, commanding her to ask no further questions.

The comment pretty much answered her question, but how the Administrator knew of those people, she didn't know.

"Pauling will take you to the Supply car and have you fitted for an outfit of your choice." she said, with disdain in her voice telling May that this wasn't her idea.

As if on cue, Miss Pauling appeared behind the Administrator with her ever present clipboard in hand. she nodded to the Administrator and walked toward May.

She too wore a purple dress, though one that was worn by much younger women. Her short black hair was styled in a bob and she wore a pair of pointed glasses.

"OK, if you'll just follow me." she calmly said, walking to the train car's back door.

May shuffled behind her, disappearing into the next car.

"Now gentlemen, I am not pleased that you did not tell me of this incident." the Administrator said with her cold voice.

"In all due respect, ma'am, we weren't sure what ya'll would do with her. We assumed the worst." the Engineer said, taking his hardhat off in respect.

"Understandable, but you should have notified me. For this, there will be a punishment, but for now, if you will come with me Mr. Conagher. I have something of interest to show you."

Unsure, but curious, the Engineer nodded and followed the Administrator to the front car.

* * *

**Fun Fact:**

**Not going to say who the Administrator's connections are, but she has known everything from the start because of them.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: OK, the way I see it, this can be taken two ways. You either think this is a pretty neat idea or that it's a really stupid idea. The reason being is that there can be sooo many plot holes that arise from it. I've tried my best to cover some of them up, but there will still be things that don't make any sense.**

**Seriously though, this creates so many freaking questions.**

**This chapter didn't turn out quite the way I wanted to, and it's a bit short, but it kind of gets the job done. Probably could have been longer...I'll definitely be going over this and adding more stuff when I come up with some answers. **

* * *

**Chapter 25: The Reveal**

* * *

"Mr. Conagher, do you know why I have called you here?" the Administrator said as her and Dell walked into the into the engine car.

"No ma'am, I do not." he replied, clueless.

She gestured to the conductor to start the train, which he replied with the pulling of the whistle as the train began its journey to Dustbowl. Looking back to the Engineer, her smile was that of malicious and conniving intent.

"For your punishment."

"But I thought-"

"For the others it will be later, but for your previous lies, I have prepared a...special punishment for you."

Nervous, Dell wrung his hands together, "What would that be, ma'am?"

"If you would follow me." she said, walking back to a previous train car.

The trek through the train cars was all but silent. The clattering of their shoes echoed throughout, as well as their voices.

"Now what I am about to show you, you may not tell to anyone else, including the girl. If you are to, I will be immediately notified and you will face severe consequences."

Not wanting to anger his employer, the Engineer curtly nodded and silently followed her through the train. They passed through the passenger's car, where Dell was asked many questions from his teammates, all of which he was unable to answer. The next car was filled with nothing but crates and what looked like a makeshift dressing room. Miss Pauling was standing next to it, and when she saw them enter, she nodded politely at the Administrator, who shot a scowl at her, causing her to whimper slightly. It seemed as through they weren't on the best of terms.

They made their way to the last train car, where the Engineer saw that it was filled with several crates and...cages?

"Tell me Mr. Conagher, how much do you know about the BLU's?" she asked, stepping over to one of the cages.

It wasn't a normal cage, no not in the slightest. The contents weren't visible because they were covered behind a sheet of pure platinum, which had bars, much like a jail cell in front of it. The door was locked by a heavy duty padlock, one of which could only be opened by a specific key.

"Not much, ma'am. I've never actually gotten a good look at em during the battles."

"You mean to say that you have never paid attention to your Spy's disguises?" she asked, an eyebrow raised with intrigue.

"Come to think of it, no I haven't" he said, attempting to recall the Spy's disguises, but having no recollection of them.

"Perfect." she said, grinning.

The Administrator pulled a simple silver key out of her pocket and placed it into the key hole. With a turn and a click, the lock came off and she pulled the door open, along with the platinum sheet. Light filled the cage, and revealed something or someone all to familiar.

"What in tarnation?! Is that me?!" The Engineer blurted out.

He stumbled back at the thing that stood in front of him. Losing his balance, he tumbled to the ground, but quickly sat up and shook his head, making sure that this was not a figment of his imagination.

Standing in the middle of the cage, was himself. It was an exact replica, except one that was garbed in blue. It stood there, motionless, like a robot, staring into nothingness.

"This, is the BLU Engineer. A bit of a shock isn't it?"

All she could do was produce and evil smile. She knew this would work. All of her plans worked.

"But- shouldn't he be alive or somethin?! What the hell is going on?! Why does he look exactly like me?!"

Dell couldn't comprehend what was going on. It was like when he found out the truth all over again. Still shocked, he slowly walked up to the duplicate, inspecting it from every angle. It really was an exact copy of himself. Every wrinkle and facial feature was there. It was like looking in a mirror. One that was really creepy.

"Haven't you ever wondered why everyone's knowledge of the BLU's is almost nonexistent?" The Administrator asked.

"Not really. I mean we're getting paid, so there wasn't ever a reason to question anything."

"I like that. An obedient employee who doesn't ask questions, but for now, you may."

"What the hell are the BLU's?!" he asked, poking the duplicates shoulder.

It felt like flesh, so it must have been alive. Either that or, a really damn good robot.

"The BLU's are like robots."

Of course it was a robot. That was always the answer to a duplicate.

"They do whatever they are told, though who controls them differs from time to time."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I am not the one who controls them. All I do is tell them their objective and another person takes control of them until the mission is won or lost. Once a mission has ended, they go into a stasis once the humiliation period has ended and everyone returns back to the base."

"Well, who takes control of them."

"They are controlled by players."

"Players?" he once again asked, hoping for a answer that didn't lead to more questions.

"The ones who play the game we are a part of, Team Fortress. The occasional idle BLU you might have seen were because the player was away from the game. Someone is always controlling a BLU member, at least when in battle, but it's controller always changes. I have attempted to take control of them myself, but the ones higher up always prevent me from doing so." she answered, with a bit of irritation in the last sentence.

"How the fuck does this even work?!" the Engineer screamed out.

"I myself do not know. I have never been told nor have I ever figured it out. All I know is that the BLU's are not real people. They are only avatars for others to take control of. My bosses have just ordered me to transfer them to wherever they feel it is necessary, along with you RED's."

His brain was scrambled, to say the least. Was the war they fought in for the past 6 years a complete and total waste? Dell had no idea what was going on, but he had to know more. He racked his brain for the best question to asked, which ironically, lead to more questions, something he didn't want.

"What else do you know?" he said, voice wavering

He was curious, yet scared. The answer terrified him, but his curiosity was stronger than his fear.

The Administrator simply grinned, "I was hoping you would ask that."

Walking towards the cage, she motioned for the Engineer to step out as she closed it back up. A slight relief came to Dell, as he no longer had to look at more of the truth.

"I trust you are well aware with how the programming of a computer works."

"You mean like how information is coded into it?"

"Precisely."

"Then yeah I know what you mean."

"Would it be a shock if I told you that we are nothing more than programs?"

"In all honesty, not as much as it would have a year ago. I had a feeling that this game was more a part of us than I initially thought. When May arrived, it confirmed it."

"We are simply complex programs. Everything about us was programmed in, including our memories, meaning..."

She paused to wait for The Engineer to come to a realization. His eyes widened in sadness as he did, with a satisfied grin appearing on her face.

"Meaning that anyone we remember, or loved, doesn't exist..."

The punishment was a success. A mental one was always much better than a physical one. Physical wounds could always heal, but mental scarring never could.

The Engineer had fallen for the punishment, and was now in tears. He couldn't understand how Irene didn't exists. He could remember her face crystal clear. All of the fond memories with her were so easy to remember, but maybe that WAS because they were programmed.

"Exactly."

"Irene..." he mumbled.

Tears falling to the ground, he collapsed onto his hands and knees, knowing that his sweet Irene was never real. All those times singing around a campfire and eating her delicious pot pies, never happened. She was just a program in his memories, and one that could never be seen again, or ever.

He was just a program, they all were. None of them mattered, except in some stupid game that children played. He never fought other human beings, in fact, he wasn't one himself. No, all he was only a computer program. He had no will, because someone programmed all his actions for him. He was only a puppet.

"I believe that was a sufficient punishment. You may return to the others, but remember that you may not tell anyone of this. The rest of the imbeciles must be kept ignorant of this."

"I...I have one last question." he weakly asked.

An annoyed sign escaped the Administrator's lips, "Yes?"

"If we are just programs then why can't the programmers control us? Why do you have to tell us? Are they not able to force us?"

Her face turned to that of genuine confusion and curiosity. She never actually thought of that before. Though she didn't enjoy it, she always obeyed her bosses and never questioned anything.

"That, I am not aware of. Maybe there is some self control in us. It could be possible that the ones who created us only had control in the creation process. After that, we might have become separate beings, capable of free will."

The thought certainly intrigued her. It was one she would have to look into later, but for now, she had business to take care off.

"Now, get out." she said sternly.

Dell shakily got up to his feet and managed to wipe the remaining tears away. He managed to force himself not to collapse once more. Grabbing the door handle, he slowly opened with the remaining strength he had. He didn't even bother to shut it behind him, as he continued to walk to a passenger car.

Displeased with this action, the Administrator shut the door, making sure that she could no longer be heard. She pulled out a rather bulky portable phone and dialed Miss Pauling's number. Waiting for her to pick up, she impatiently tapped her foot.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Miss Pauling, be sure to give the girl those special glasses. I have something special planned for her."

* * *

**Can you count how many questions you have? No? Well crap...**

**This explanation for the BLU's was planned from the start, but I still couldn't come up with a lot of answers for the past few months.**

**If you want an questions answered, then just PM me and I'll do the best I can to answer them. I'd love some feedback on this concept, so feel free to review it :)**

**Felt like the Administrator is not totally in character, but I did my best.**

**Fun Fact:**

**Originally**** the Engineer was going to know of this right off the bat, but I couldn't think of an explanation of how he knew. Since the Administrator was already this all knowing woman, it made more sense.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Take some advice from me: Never procrastinate! Yeah, I've been working on a bunch of summer homework this past week or so, which is why I haven't updated. School starts back soon and I really need to finish it up. Probably won't update again for a bit because of it.**

**Might have broken Miss Pauling's character a bit, but...does she really have a concrete one? I mean she is either harsh to the mercenaries or fearing/obeying the Administrator. You never get to see another side, like a more personal, really**

**Apologizes**** for any odd wording, stupid mistakes, things that might not make sense, or awkward things. I was really tired when I wrote this as well as when I went over it. I'll probably go back over it before I write the next chapter...whenever I finish my school work...sigh...**

* * *

**Chapter 26: It's Like Christmas Morning**

* * *

"Just through this door."

Miss Pauling and May had walked in silence. Neither bothered to make conversation with one another, though this was mostly because of May's nervousness. Compared to the Administrator, Miss Pauling wasn't as intimidating, but from the comics she had read, the young woman could be, even enough to kill under orders without complaint.

Opening the fourth car door they had gone come across, the two stepped into yet another car that was filled with crates. The only difference was that there was some kind of set up in one of the corners. It looked like some kind of make shift shower curtain...or dressing room?

Miss Pauling set the ever present clipboard down on a nearby crate. She turned to May, hands clasped with a smile on her face.

"Alright May, what kind of clothes would you like? Remember these will be worn in tomorrow's mission."

A small chuckle came from May. She hadn't ever seen Miss Pauling portrayed so chipper. Most of her appearances either had her scared of the Administrator or stern and harsh toward the mercenaries.

"I'm guessing that you're the one who thought of this, since the Administrator didn't seem to happy about it."

"I thought you might want some say in what you wore. The Administrator was ready to just set you up with a standard mercenary uniform."

The thought of being in the Pyro's suit worried May. Knowing the Administrator, that's what she would have ended up wearing. Thank god for Miss Pauling.

"Well, I'm actually pretty OK with most of their clothes."

"That's good, then we can easily choose an outfit. These crates are filled with every piece of clothing our mercenaries own. I assume you are familiar with most?"

"If it's the same things from Team Fortress then yeah, I am."

Was she really going to get what she thought she was getting?

"Excellent. You can go through any crate you want and choose a few things. They have labels, so I'm sure you can figure out what's in each crate. Come back to me when you have found some items so I can fit them to your size, if possible."

With a smile of anticipation, May walked among the crates and read each label. They all had the class symbols on it, as well as a list of the contents, by name.

"Hey, I'm just wondering, but is there any reason why each thing has its own name? I mean, it's easy to identify them, but's kind of weird."

"We tell the mercenaries to name them, so, like you said, it's easy to identify them."

"I guess that makes sense..." she muttered, looking upon a box with the Medic's emblem.

The contents seemed to be the Foppish Physician, Doc's Holiday, and...

"Yes!" May screamed in delight.

Taking the lid off, with surprising ease, May stuck her hand down and felt around. Feeling the fur outline, she grabbed the fabric and pulled it out. In her hand was a winter version of the Medic's signature coat. The edges were line with fur as well as the cuffs.

"I love this coat!" May shouted with glee.

Looking over the coat, she saw that it was a bigger size, but nothing she couldn't handle. Feeling the fur, she realized something. They would be out in the desert, fighting in the blazing sun. A frown appeared, realizing it would be idiotic to wear this coat. She was about to put it back, when she heard Miss Pauling's voice.

"I see you have found the Der Wintermantel."

"Yeah, but it would be really stupid to wear this." she said, sadness in her voice.

"Normally, but the Medi Gun's healing ability also cools the user and the target down, so it wouldn't be a problem."

May's jaw dropped, "You kidding, right?"

"How do you think the Medictolerates that coat?"

How didn't she notice this before? Looking back, when she did have the Medi Gun equipped, she didn't feel the least bit hot. I guess it was just a small detail she skipped over.

"You can essentially wear whatever type of clothing and you will be kept cool as long as you have the Medi Gun on."

May squealed excitedly. This was like Christmas morning, except better. Who wouldn't want to have the authentic "costumes" of your favorite characters?

"If you'll just hand it to me, you can continue looking." Miss Pauling said, with an outstretched arm.

May walked ran over to her, threw the coat in her direction and ran back to the crates. Stumbling to catch it, Miss Pauling rush forward before the coat could hit the ground.

"Looks like someone is excited." she said, through a small laugh.

"Are you kidding?! This is like a dream come true!"

May continued to look at the contents of each box. Some had things she would never wear, while others had some that she was debating about. She came across a crate with a Pyro symbol, that had an item that interest her. Opening the crate, she saw a cage that was placed in the center. Brow furrowed, she picked up the metal cage and saw the cutest thing ever.

"Triboniophorus Tyrannus! This thing is alive?!"

The little slime squished around and made a small squeak of happiness.

"Yes, though I wouldn't advise placing it on your head."

"Why not?" she dumbly asked.

"Well, it is a brain slug. It would make you a mindless zombie if it came in contact with your skull. The Pyro is the only one who could, eh, wear it."

"Makes sense, but...this things so freaking adorable!"

She placed a finger in the cage and wiggled it around. The little slime inched up to it and rubbed it affectionately. Oddly, the creature felt like a hard slime substance mixed with rubber, but May enjoyed how the creature felt.

"Seems you like it quite a lot. Would you like to keep it?"

"Yes,yes ,yes!"

"Great. We have tons of these things. They breed like rabbits."

"Thank you so much!"

"Just remember not to let it near your head. Other than that, you can take it out and play with it."

Another squeal and May unlatched the cage door. Cupping her hand, she placed it near the cage's edge, allowing the creature to hop onto her hand.

"Gah! I'm going to die from its cuteness!" she said, petting it with two fingers.

The slime continued to rub against her fingers, purring much like a cat did, though higher pitched.

"I'm going to call you Chu."

It squeaked at hearing it's new found name, bouncing in satisfaction.

"Why don't you put Chu away and finish the task at hand." Miss Pauling sweetly said.

"Oh, sorry about that."

She placed Chu back into the cage and set it down on a nearby crate. Returning to her searched, she found a crate that was simply labeled 'Standard Footwear.' Opening the crate, she saw the mercenaries normal shoes organized neatly. Looking at the assorted boots, sneakers and what not, May realized how big some of their feet really were. The biggest pair seemed to be the Heavy's, which were two times the length of her own feet.

"If your looking at shoes, that won't be a problem. Just choose which ones you want and I'll take your shoes size and you'll have a pair by tonight."

Thinking that she could have anything she wanted, she closed the crate back up and searched through the other crates containing shoes. Opening a particular crate, she grinned. It wasn't the exact thing, but it was close. She pulled out a pair of white sneakers with two horizontal stripes that had a pair of grey socks stuffed in them. Strapped to the side of the sneaker, for transportation, were two flexible metal bars.

"I see you have found the Long Fall Loafers." Miss Pauling said, with some intrigue.

"It's the closest thing to the Long Fall Boots."

"Are you wanting the Long Fall Boots? We can get that for you if you'd like?"

"Really? How?"

"Well, we originally were going to give them to the Scout, but he refused, saying they were two girly. Instead we gave him a modified version, though they didn't negate fall damage like the boots did."

"Scout is an idiot."

"In every sense."

Both girls laughed, each laughing from a Scout moment they had remembered.

"Speaking of the Scout, how bad is the flirting?"

"Do not even get me started. That boy is just to desperate." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Your telling me...now you said you could get me some Long Fall Boots? Don't those belong to...uh, Aperture?"

"Aperture? I don't believe I know what you are talking about." Miss Pauling replied.

"Then that means...well OK then, guess the Portal Gun isn't real."

A slight hope was dashed in May. She had thought that maybe she could somehow get her hand on a portal gun. How, she didn't know, but the possibility still could have been there. Though thinking on it a bit more, if the Administrator and GLaDoS were played by the same person, then that would be like a paradox or what? No, that couldn't happen since the Spy and Pyro had the same voice actor, as well as the Demoman and Heavy. Though...seeing those two meet would be quite a spectacle.

"Portal gun?"

"Never mind. I was just thinking about something."

"OK, now if you could just tell me your shoe size, I can order you a pair of Long Fall Boots."

"Oh, its 9. Now does this mean that I will land on my feet every time and not break my legs when I jump from a high place?" she questioned.

"Precisely."

"That will be really useful."

She placed the Long Fall Loafers back into the crate and moved on. All she really had left was to find some pants. May thought that it would be a bit odd if she were to wear another persons pants.

"Uh, hey could I just wear the pants I'm wearing now?"

"Sure, I assume you would like them washed?"

"Please."

"OK then, if you would, just find something to temporarily wear. Oh, and if you would like, you can find some sleep wear. I'm sure there's something around."

"I'm pretty good with a the shirt I'm wearing. I just won't walk around the base...that would be awkward."

"Very." Miss Pauling said, laughing slightly, "It seems you have everything, but would you like a hat?"

"I'd love one, but it would fall off."

"Not to worry. All Mann Co. hats are guaranteed not to fall off, even if you jumped out of a plane."

"How the heck does that work?" she asked, wondering if it just grasped your head.

"Only Saxton Hale knows."

"Fine, then I'll just look around again."

Finding an crate that had the TF Industries logo, May opened it and found some of the classless items. Rummaging through it, she found a pair of goggles, one that had a colorful reflective lens. Looking at the familiar goggles, she decided to try them on.

"No! Don't!"

It was to late to head Miss Pauling's warning. The Goggles slipped on and immediately, the world was covered in a vibrant rainbow. Mouthing hanging in awe and slight confusion, May stared at the Balloonicorn that floated by. She looked around and saw a...small fat flying Miss Pauling. The odd creature flew up to her, giggling, and grabbed the goggles around her face.

May felt them slid off, past her eyes, and before she knew it, she was back to reality.

"I suggest not putting those on again." she said, throwing them back into the crate.

May was still awestruck. Her mouth still open, her mind couldn't come up with any words to speak. She knew what Pyroland looked like, so why was she so shocked?

"You should have seen the mercenaries when they first tried them on. I think it might have mentally scarred a few of them."

"I-uh...I-" she stuttered.

"Why don't you just tell me what you would like, so I can get them."

Brain scrambled, only two things came to mind.

"Th-the Merc's Muffler and, uh, the...German Gonzila..." she managed to say.

Miss Pauling walked off and gathered the items. Not having to look at the labels, it seemed she knew where everything was located.

Recovering from the Pyroland experience, May shook her head, trying to return to her normal mental state. A tap on the shoulder and May turned around to Miss Pauling holding the two items she requested.

Smiling at her kindness, May took the two items and placed them with all the others. Miss Pauling look at the pile and sighed.

"Well, it's incomplete, but why don't you go try everything on?"

"Uh, sure."

She gathered the clothes and looked at the makeshift dressing room. Proceeding towards it, she looked down into her arms and smiled at her collection. Pushing apart the curtain, she stepped behind it and into the small corner. the only thing in the blocked of space was a small pathetic looking stool that had its paint chipping off. Lying the newly acquired items down, she began to undress.

* * *

Miss Pauling was enjoying the fact that there was another female here, other than the Administrator. The old crone wasn't someone to socialize with and was someone she generally feared, yet respected. The power she held and her nature was intimidating, but she was her boss, so she had to obey her.

She patiently waited on the other side of the curtain. Nothing of interest to do, she began whistling. It wasn't a particular tune, but that didn't matter. It was just something that allowed her mind to wa-

_Creak!_

One of the cab doors opened, revealing the Engineer and Administrator. Miss Pauling ceased her whistling and straightened up into a position that screamed politeness. Hands clasped gently in front of her, Miss Pauling nodded at her passing employer.

All she received was a scowl of disapproval. She knew that the Administrator was not happy with her at the moment, and she was honestly scared of it. The young woman whimpered in fear, but stood her stance until the two entered the other train car.

"I'm guessing that was the Administrator." May said from behind the ruffling of clothes.

"Yes."

"She's not happy with you, is she?"

"Nope."

"Is she ever happy with anyone?"

"No."

"Then don't let it get to you. It's just her witchy personality. she doesn't seem to have anything personal against you."

Miss Pauling still turned away from the curtain, turned around to hear it fly open.

"Well?"

The coat was exceedingly baggy on May. It reached the ground and the sleeves covered over her hands. The muffler was wrapped around her neck, and reached the top of her chin. It hung down in front of her chest, down until her stomach. The German hat fit snugly on her hat, and Miss Pauling was right. No matter how hard she shook, the hat would not come off unless she took it off with her hands.

The costume incomplete, May lacked the shoes and correct size for the coat. She would have liked to complete the Medic portion with some rubber gloves, but trying to use her hands would be impossible. She would need something else.

"Not bad." Miss Pauling said, nodding her head in approval.

"It's pretty big." May said, flopping her arms around, showing the bagginess.

"We can fix that. Unfortunately, you chose one of the things I can't alter, so I'll just take your measurements."

Miss Pauling went to a small tool box near the curtain and took out a measuring tape. Wrapping it around May's waist, she took note and wrote the measurement down on her clipboard. Continuing to do so, May spoke, in order to relieve the silence.

"So, how is it working for the Administrator?" she said, stretching her arms, so Miss Pauling could measure her wing span.

"Not to bad. She's not so bad once you get to know her."

"We are talking about the same woman right? I mean, this is the one who hates friendships."

"True. This job pays well enough to where it's worth it to put up with her. I do respect her though. Being a woman in this time and having such power is quite an achievement. From what I've heard, women in your time are more respected."

"I guess you could say that. We can do pretty much any job a man can do. The world's a lot different back home than what it is here."

"I've heard these two worlds are entirely different."

"Oh, they are. Believe me they are. for instance, we don't have any technology like the teleporters, cloaking devices and especially not respawn."

"Really? That's quite a surprise." Miss Pauling said, wondering what all was different.

"Yeah. Really, those are just dreams and wishes. That's probably how this came to be."

"Your probably right...OK, all done." she said, placing the measuring tape back into the box.

"Good. These clothes were getting really hot."

Walking back behind the curtain, May took off the coat and put her normal shirt and hoodie back on. The muffler and hat, she could keep, since there wasn't any problem with it. Wearing the hat would be fine, but the muffler would be to warm. Taking off the scarf, she walked back out and handed to coat to Miss Pauling.

"You know, I was thinking...what about gloves or something."

"It would be wise to have some sort of hand protection. What did you have in mind?"

"Hm...what about the Scout's bandages, but a little modified?"

May knew what she was going for. It would be slightly different from the the Scout's, but still pretty much the same.

"That could be arranged. I would suggest asking the Scout about that though. That seems to be his own thing."

"Alright, I can do that."

Miss Pauling nodded, "I believe we are finished. You can return back to the mercenaries now."

"OK. Thanks!"

Grabbing Chu's cage, May walked up to the door and placed her hand on the handle.

"Oh, wait a minute!"

Turning around, May saw Miss Pauling walk up to her with a pair of goggles in her hand. they looked similar to the Pyrovision goggles, but thee frame and strap were thinner and it lacked the colorful reflection.

"I've been instructed to give you these. The Administrator wants you to wear them in tomorrow's mission."

With out a word or question, May took the goggles and continued on her way.

With the girl out of site, Miss Pauling gathered the left behind items and put them in the proper place.

_Ring!_

The phone she had placed on a random crate began to ring. Rushing over, Miss Pauling picked up the phone and answered.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Miss Pauling, be sure to give the girl those special glasses. I have something special planned for her."

"Already taken care of, ma'am."

"Good. I will meet you back in the BLU's storage room. We have a few things we need to discuss..."

Miss Pauling gulped, "Yes ma'am. I'll be there right away."

* * *

**Fashion**** police, have at it!**

**Goggles, glasses, same thing.**

**Tried to keep promotional items out of it, but I couldn't keep the Long Fall Loafers/Boots out.**

**Decided that Team Fortress is in its own little world, which is why they don't know about Aperture. So, basically the Half-Life universe is elsewhere.**

**Can anyone guess where the name for the brain slug came from?**

**Fun Fact:**

**The Administrator has one hour off a year and spends her time making birds fight. Can't you just imagine her bundled up, throwing bird seed everywhere and shouting commands at pigeons. Someone has to write a story about that!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Ack! I'm so sorry for the delay! I've been really busy and school has started back, so I don't know how often updates will happen. I also honestly didn't know what to do for this chapter...so...yeah...not to happy with this chapter either...I really just want to get to the battle.**

**Yay! Over 100 reviews! A huge thank you to everyone whose been following this story and to the ones who have reviewed and Favorited! Let's keep it up everyone!**

**And thank god someone finally understood the reference with Chu's name! I mean you Guest Reader.**

**And note that it's sort of implied that May has her bag with her at all times unless stated otherwise.**

* * *

**Chapter 27: The Night Before the Battle**

* * *

"You are just the cutest thing!" May squealed, looking at her new pet.

Walking through train car after train car, May hadn't been paying too much attention to where she was really going, except for straight. All the while she had been consumed by the little slime's cuteness, poking it while she ogled the strange living blob of whatever it was.

Reaching the passenger car, May slid the door open and was greeted by the Scout, of all people.

"Hey kid." he said, with a grin as he leaned over the seat, arms hanging.

Sighing, she knew it would be useless to correct him, so she just nodded, acknowledging his existence. Taking her seat, May leaned back and propped her legs upon the back of the seat in front of her. Nothing to do, she took out her iPod and headphones, plugged them in and set the thing of shuffle, as she laid back and closed her eyes.

Ironically, the first song that came on was one related to Team Fortress, titled Archimedes. She laugh quietly, remembering that she had actually met the real Archimedes, and was living inside the world, at the moment.

"Hey, Shelia."

May opened her eyes and looked over to the Sniper, who was standing with an arm propped on the seat in front of her.

"Hey Sniper. Watcha want?"

Her tone might have been of slight annoyance, but she was really glad that someone was going to talk to her. She didn't want to just sit alone for the entire ride, and it was nice that someone had come to talk to her personally.

"Thought ya moight be lonely."

"Wow, look who's talking."

"Hey! I'm not saying I am. In fact, I loike to be, but you don't seem the type, so I thought it be best to come and keep ya company."

She grinned, "Whatever you say...I know you've taken a liking to me, but being the loner you are, you don't like to admit it."

He was silent.

"Knew it."

"Wot's that thing?" he asked, pointing to the caged slime.

"This?"

She held the cage up, revealing a sleeping Chu.

"Is that one of those little buggers Pyro sometimes has stuck on I- his head?"

"Yeah. It's not as harmful as you'd think. Miss Pauling just said not to let it get near your head." she said, rubbing it affectionately through the bars.

"Those things are bloody weird. Don't see why you would want one." he said, scratching his ear.

"I think they're cute."

"Bonjour."

The Spy showed up, seemingly out of nowhere, but it was very likely he did.

"Hey Spy." May greeted, with the Sniper simply mumbling under his breath.

"'Ow did your session with Miss Pauling go?"

"Good I guess."

"So, you got to choose what you wanted?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure you would hate my choices though. I just chose random pieces that I liked, so I don't think they match together."

"While I do believe zhat appearance is important, especially your wardrobe, If it is something you adore, zhen...eh it is acceptable." the Spy said, with a bit of forcefulness in his last statement.

May laughed. She knew that he had just said that to be polite and he really did have a problem with it, but there was no point in pointing out the obvious.

"Wot are you doin here spook?" the annoyed Sniper ask.

"What? Is zhere somezhing wrong with just accompanying mademoiselle May?"

"Not really...but your annoyin me." the Sniper said, shooting daggers at the Spy, through his glasses.

"'Ow so? I am not even addressing you, bushman."

The Sniper clenched his fist and opened his mouth to speak, but May interrupted him to break the tension.

"Hey, how much longer do we have?"

"About 2 hours." the Spy stated.

"OK, how about you two just go your separate ways. I know you guys have your rivalry and all, but it wouldn't be good if you two got into a fight."

Before the two could answer, they heard a door creak open. Everyone in the train car looked back, to see the Engineer walk through the doorway. Everyone seemed to notice the Engineer's depressed stature and expression.

"Yo, hardhat! What's with you?" the Scout asked.

"Nothing." the Engineer quickly said.

Shuffling over to an empty seat, the Engineer sat down and slid towards the window. He leaned against it and set his arm on the small ledge. Looking out into the sunset, the Engineer could imagine his wife's face in the swirl of orange and pink. Like any other girl, pink had been her favorite color, or at least, he was programmed to think that.

Thinking straight was not an option for him anymore. He didn't know what was fact and what was fiction, if there was even any facts in this messed up existence. Learning that they were a video game was enough to do damage to his sanity, but it was something he could recover from, or at least hide. Knowing that everyone he loved were just a part of his programmed brain, was enough to spiral him into a depression and insanity.

May noticed this, but decided it was best not to question him. Despite the curiosity eating at her, she knew it would be a bad idea to ask what was bothering him. At this point, the Spy and Sniper had already taken their seats far away from each other, leaving May to herself.

With nothing more to do, again, she decided that it really would be the best to take a nap. She needed the energy for tomorrow if she was going to fight...and repeatedly die...

Thinking on it, May shuddered at the thought of a constant cycle of life and death. Sure it was nice that you were never going to permanently die under the respawn system, but it was also disturbing. They were cheating death. Cheating nature.

Popping her headphones in once again, May closed her eyes and slowly nodded off.

It seemed as though only a second later that May was being shook by the shoulders.

"Kid, wake up!" the Scout was saying, in his naturally loud voice.

"Ugh...what!" May grumpily shouted.

"We're at Dustbowl."

Forcing herself up, May stood up and stretched.

"Gah. OK, I'm good."

"Great. Now, let's go!" the Scout said, excitedly as he always did.

He bounded off the train like the hyperactive child he was. Following in suit, May thought she was the last one off, but on her way out, she saw the Engineer, who was still slumped against the window. Thinking he might be asleep, May nudged his arm with a finger.

"What'da want?" he said, in a tone that said 'get away from me.'

"Uh, we've arrived. I just thought you were asleep." May nervously said.

"I know. Jus' wanted a few moments to myself..." he solemnly said.

"Alright, uh, I guess I'll just leave you alone."

"Appreciate it."

Walking down the aisle, May reached the door and paused.

"Damn it..." she muttered.

Turning around, she walked back towards the Engineer, who looked up when he heard the sound of someone approaching him.

"What happened when you were with the Administrator."

Sighing, the Engineer knew she would ask that. As much as he felt the need to tell everyone more of the truth, he couldn't risk it. He didn't know exactly what the Administrator would do, but he knew it would not be good.

"I can't tell you."

His exasperated tone was enough for May to know better than to question him further. Without another word, she left him alone, and walked off the train.

Knowing that the train would leave any moment, the Engineer stood up and stepped off the train. He didn't notice that the moon had come out until now, and saw it floating over the battlefield named Dustbowl. It illuminated the sky in it's bright, almost heavenly, glow. The stars decorated the blackness of the night sky, sparkling and lighting up the sky, just as the moon did. In all the darkness, there were lights. Lights that would brighten up the darkest night.

_Choo, Choo!_

A signal that the train was leaving, the Engineer walked toward the entrance to the base. He was in no mood to converse with the others, so, as if he were a spy, he slunk off to his designated room and immediately shut himself off from the rest of the world.

His belongings had already been delivered, but he had no need for them at the moment. Depressed as hell, he crawled into bed and immediately closed his eyes.

Normally, Dell would have thought sweet nothings about his beautiful Irene, but now, every time he thought of her, he was reminded that she was nothing more than a programmed memory. What use to bring him happiness and hope, now brought him sadness and despair.

For once in his life, he was unable to contain the tears. Despondency set in. Dell cried himself to sleep that night.

* * *

**As much as I'm not fond of most of this chapter, I do like the ending with the Engineer.**

**Fun Fact:**

**In the Spy and Sniper's rivalry, the Spy is always the provoker. I'm sure that was obvious, though.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm so sorry for the time between these two chapters! School's kicking my butt and I've gotten addicted to Steam and Source Film Maker (even though I'm not that good). Again, sorry that it's been a while, but here's the next chapter. Originally intended for this and the next to be one chapter, but it started to drag on.**

* * *

**Chapter 28: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

"It is 0600 hours! Time to rise and shine, maggots!"

It was yet another morning of waking up to a screaming Soldier. Not the most pleasant thing in the world, but there were far worse situations.

Wanting to punch the Soldier in the guts, May shuffled around in the bed, attempting to block the irritating voice. Knowing full well that she would not be going back to sleep, May pulled the covers off and sat up.

Hunched over and rubbing the gunk out of her eyes, May yawned. By the time she managed to fall asleep, she had suspected that it was around one in the morning, which, according to the Soldier, gave her only 4 hours of sleep.

Standing up, May looked around the room. She hadn't noticed it last night, due to the darkness, but it was exactly the saw as the one back at Teufort. It was almost as if she was still in Teufort.

Shrugging it off as just a company standard, May noticed something sitting on the plain, steal table. Dragging her feet over to it, she realized it was a pile of clothes, with a pair of boots placed underneath the table with a roll of bandages. Confused at first, May quickly realized that it was things she had picked out the previous night with Miss Pauling.

A small note placed on top of the fur coat caught her attention.

"_You have been connected to respawn, so you do not have to worry. I will advise that you not die. It is not a process you would like to go through. _

_Good Luck!_

_-Pauling_

_P.S. We have made a few modifications to your disguise kit. You will find that you no longer lose your disguise when attacking. You will keep the disguise indefinitely until you manually deactivate it. I suggest keeping the disguise on at all times._

Excitement waking her up, May quickly unfolded each piece and saw that even her normal clothes were in the stack. Changing from the oversized shirt she had borrowed from the Sniper, May pulled on each piece of clothing and found, surprisingly, how well they all fit. It was as if each piece were custom fit to her liking. Nothing was too tight or too loose. It was all perfect.

Everything on, May slipped the goggles around her neck, put on the German hat and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Man, I look like an idiot," she said to herself.

In truth, she really did. Futuristic styled boots, a long fur coat and blue jeans weren't exactly a great combination. It didn't really matter through. She was wearing things she loved and it wasn't like anyone was going to judge her. Well…the Spy probably would, but he could suck it up.

Satisfied with her attire, May exited the room and headed for the rec room. With the barracks being designed the same, right down to the tiles, it was quite easy for her to find each room.

* * *

"I'm telling ya for the last time, Spook. I do not box with kangaroo's."

The Spy had been up to his usual antics of having to annoy the Sniper in every possible way. Knowing that the Australian did not like to be compared to the Australian stereotype, the Spy pestered him with a flurry of questions that ranged from why he did not have a mustache to, the current one, did he box with kangaroos.

"Yes, yes I understand zhat bushman." The spy said, rolling his eyes.

"The why do ya keep asking me?!"

The Spy had asked him several times and got the same answer every time. No. He just liked to aggravate the Australian, because of how much of an uncivilized buffoon he was.

"I only want to know why on earth you don't. Someone as repulsive, with no manners, such as you, seems like zhey would enjoy such an unruly sport."

"It might come as a shock to you, but no, I do not enjoy it. In fact, I think it's quite a dumb sport." The Sniper said, crossing his arms and trying all he could to put a dignified look on his face.

"Ah, so zhe bushman does know some fine tastes after all."

The Sniper shot him a flash of anger, which he retaliated with a smug smile and a release of smoke. Infuriated, the Sniper opened his mouth once more, trying his best to come up with a witty comeback.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Turning around, the two saw the girl who had greeted them. While the Sniper responded with a warm smile and a "G'day," the Spy covered his face with his hand and sighed.

"Oh please…"

"I knew you'd hate it."

No one but the Spy seemed to care about her wardrobe, but being the classy gentlemen he was, fashion was a top priority for him and this girl was on the very bottom of the scale.

"Mademoiselle, nozhing matches."

"Yeah, but I don't really care and I never had. At least the long fall boots have a purpose." She said, picking her left foot up and examining the flexible bar that forced her to stand on her toes.

Surprisingly enough, having to stand like she was a ballerina the entire time was actually pretty comfortable. In a way, it felt natural.

"What do they do? They look familiar." the Sniper asked.

"It makes it so I don't hurt myself if I fall from a high height and the Scout had similar looking shoes."

"I remember. Zhe Scout was offered those, but he declined. What he has now no longer prevents damage. Zhat boy is an idiot…"

"Yes, yes he is."

"So…you guys got anything to eat?"

"Oui, zhere is food in zhe fridge."

"Thanks. I'm starving."

May rushed off to the fridge on the other side of the room. Looking around the room, the only people who were missing were the Soldier and the Pyro. Not giving another thought of the two, she opened the fridge.

A smile spread across her face at the sight of racks lining the fridge. There was not a single empty space. The entire fridge was filled to the brim with fresh food. Vegetables, fruit, and anything else you could think of was in there, even a tub of spaghetti.

Deciding was a tough choice. Everything looked delicious, even the fish wrapped in newspaper, but, she knew the choice needed to be simple. May didn't feel like fiddling with a pot or pan today, so she grabbed an apple and vine of grapes.

Heading to the couch, May caught a glimpse of the Engineer. From the looks of it, he seemed to be in an even worse state than before, slumped down on a table. Knowing full well not to disturb him, she just bypassed him and took a seat on the couch next to the Scout.

Laying her meal on her lap, May looked up to see the TV was, once again, turned to Gilligan's Planet.

"Again Scout?" she sighed.

"What? I told ya this was an amazing show!" he said, gesturing towards the TV.

"Still think the original is better…" she replied, taking a bite of the apples.

"There's a freakin' monkey as a side kick! How could it be any better?!" the Scout argued.

May wiped away the juice dripping down her chin, "That's just it. It's a MONKEY for a SIDE KICK." She emphasized.

The Scout, about to say something, was interrupted by a hand covering his mouth.

"Nope, not arguing about something so stupid. Let's just both shut up and watch some TV."

While he didn't enjoy being put down like that, especially by a girl, the Scout didn't say anything, as he was quite content watching the misadventures of Gilligan and his monkey sidekick.

* * *

Wanting to nod off to sleep, May wasn't allowed to. The Soldier spotted her, eyes closed and leaning back comfortably on the sofa, and decided to rant on and on about how she had to be prepared for the "glorious" mission they were about to embark on. While the Sniper had tried to argue with him, the Soldier, already in a sour mood, wouldn't allow it.

Given the circumstances she was under, May decided not to argue with the Soldier. That, and it wasn't a good idea to argue with a mentally unstable person.

Sitting there for nearly 90 minutes, May just stared at the TV screen and television programs shone through the screen. She didn't pay attention, how could she? She was about to participate in a real RED vs. BLU match. While it might have seemed like a dream come true, in concept, it really was something she was terrified of. In the game, it was no big deal dying because you would just respawn with no harm done, but here, everything was real. The explosions were real, the bullets were real, and the pain, they were all real.

Bullets piercing her skin, explosions, shrapnel and fire were all part of something she absolutely feared, death.

_**Mission begins in 10 minutes!**_

Startled at the sudden boom of the commanding voice, May screamed and jumped. Everyone looking at her, she smiled and apologized, embarrassed of her lack of courage. Courage…it was something she needed a lot of.

Everyone began to shuffle out of the room and, not knowing where to go, she tagged along. They walked down the hallway and went through a door she had never noticed, or at least, never noticed back at Teufort. May assumed, from what she saw, that the bases were identical, but apparently not.

The rag tagged group headed down dimly lit stairs that were only lit by a small lightbulb, hanging down every few yards. Looking around, it seemed to be a cave like tunnel, but May was sure of where they were going to be starting the day out.

The team entered a small room that seemed to be built underground. Lockers lined the walls, all with a specific class emblems on the doors. They were all beaten up, rusty and dusty, but they seemed to get the job done.

The mercenaries opened up their respective locker and gathered their equipment. Nsure of what to do, May looked around the place and finally spotted a locker that had a note attached to the door, instead of an emblem.

She picked up a note and read it.

_All your weapons are inside. Get one of the merc's to help you with some of it. Put on those goggles before the mission starts and keep them on. Remember, the Administrator can see you at all times._

_-Pauling_

Discarding the letter on a shelf, May gathered her equipment and laid it down in front of her. Remembering the bandages, she pulled it out of her pocket and walked over to the Scout, who was loading his Scattergun at an alarming rate.

"Hey Scout, can you help me with these?" she asked, waving the role of bandages.

Scattergun armed and ready, the Scout placed it on his back and picked up his pistol, cocking it.

"Only if you admit that a monkey side kick is awesome."

"Really Scout? You're bringing this up now?"

"Say it's awesome or I won't help ya."

A smug look appeared, as he shoved his pistol in his pocket.

"Fine…a monkey side kick isn't that bad…"

"Say it's awesome."

"It's awesome OK? Now help me, please."

Out stretching his arm, May gave him the bandages and kept her arm straight out. Wrapping it tightly around her hand, she requested for it to go halfway up her fore arm, in case she had to shield herself from some shrapnel or something, but that was really an excuse. In all honesty, she just liked that style.

Hands wrapped, she thanked the Scout and returned to her locker, where her equipment was laying. Picking up a thick belt with suspenders attached, May saw no means of attaching it to the other end.

"Hey, how do you get this thing on?" she called out, holding the belt up.

Walking over to her, the Medic instructed her to slip the suspenders on over her shoulders. Doing so, he grabbed the belt and snapped it together. Bamboozled, May just gave a confused look.

"Ah, it would be best not to ask how it vorks. Even if zhere was an explanation, zhere would be no time to explain." He said, noticing her confusion.

Hoisting the Medi Gun onto her back, the Medic explained where everything was to be stored when not in use.

"Zhe Medi gun attaches to zhe right side of zhe pack," he said, demonstration how easy it was just to lift it back there and snap it on, "Zhe pistol can go in zhe satchel, Zhe Syringe Gun will attach to your belt, und you can just leave zhe kukri in its sheath."

Thanking him, the Medic returned to his own preparation, and began charging up his uber. May grabbed the Disguise kit and Cloak and Dagger, slipping it into her pocket ad onto her wrist, respectively.

_**Mission begins in 60 seconds!**_

Excepting the Administrator's voice at any time, May didn't jump. She was trying to build her confidence, but nothing was working. She was going to die at some point and she couldn't avoid it. The safety of respawn was there, but then again, she was cheating death.

Leaning against the locker, she sighed and closed the door. The RED's had already left the room, leaving May alone.

"I can do this, I can do this…" she repeated to herself.

May headed for the exit door, and grabbed the door know, hesitating. This was it, there would be no turning back. She was really going to do this.

"Oi, Sheila! Ya comin?" the Sniper called.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming."

She stepped into the abandoned mine and got in line with the mercenaries. By the time she got there, the Spy and Sniper had already disappeared. Assuming the Spy was going through a different way and the Sniper went to find a good point, May just kept quiet, and for once, wasn't curious in the slightest.

_**Mission begins in 30 seconds!**_

The RED's were gearing up, checking their weapons, making sure they had full ammo. Reaching into one of the satchels, May felt around to make sure she had extra ammo, God knows she would need it.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked around to see the Engineer, smiling, as if saying everything was going to be alright.

"You gonna be OK?" he asked, worry in his tone.

"I think so…are you?" she said, frowning.

Frowning, the Engineer sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look just do your best. All of us will be looking out for you."

"Thanks."

The Engineer turned away, grabbed his tool box, and got back in line.

Pulling the goggles over her eyes, May was surprised to find that it was just like wearing glasses. Her vision was perfect, but other than that, she saw nothing that would make them special.

_**Mission begins in 10 seconds!**_

"I am fully charged!"

Crap, she had forgotten to build an uber. Hastily, she grabbed the Medi Gun and aimed it at the person in front of her, the Soldier. Noticing the wave of healing, the Soldier turned around, a snarl adorning his face.

"Don't screw up, cupcake." He harshly warned.

Slightly nervous, she remembered that she needed to put on a disguise, so she dropped the Medi gun rather hard on the floor and scrambled to get the kit out of her pocket.

_**5!**_

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" the Scout eagerly yelled.

"Shut your yap, boy!"

_**4!**_

Fiddling with the buttons, May finally managed to find the right disguise. A cloud of crimson smoke surrounded her and she was transformed into the Medic's twin. Picking back up the Medi Gun, she aimed it back at the Soldier, who gave her a low grunt in return.

_**3!**_

May took a deep breath and calmed herself done.

_**2!**_

She gulped, and closed her eyes

_**1!**_

Horn blaring, the gates flew open.

"Eeyaah!"

"Raus, Raus!"

"Hudda hudda huuh!"

"Move 'em out!"

"Leeet's do itt!"

"Last one alive, lock the door!"

The mercenaries busted out of the room and began to fire at the opposing team. May was left in the dust, standing in the mine, hesitating. She could just stay in the safety of the spawn room, but she couldn't. The Administrator would kill her for doing that. She had no choice but to fight.

One last sigh, and she ran out of the room. The chaos of the battle ensured around her, but one look of the battlefield caused her to stop in her tracks.

"What the fu…"


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: After writing this...I banged my head against the wall. I realized that I made a really stupid mistake, that i can't really fix now, as it would take some rewriting. The BLU's attack the RED's, not the other way around...well guess it's the other way around here!**

**Not quite content with this chapter...writing isn't the best and there's almost no good transition the way I see it. I could have done better...**

**Sorry for the horrible "fight" scene ahead (if you can even call it that). Might have a bit of trouble imagining where exactly she is on the map, cause I couldn't think of a great way to describe specific locations. **

**Keep in mind (though it is mentioned) May is disguised as the Medic this entire time, which will explain the accent. Also the hat and coat transfer to the disguise, since they are Medic items (don't ask how that works, it just does).**

* * *

**Chapter 29:** **Battle at Dustbowl Part 1**

* * *

All that nervousness and fear disappeared at the sight of a BLU Soldier's head on fire. No, wait…It wasn't on fire, the hat was.

The flaming hat wasn't the only thing out of place. Above the seemingly infinitely flaming hat, there seemed to be something else above it.

Eyes squinted, May struggled to clearly see what it was. Constant weapon fire and movement made it difficult to tell what it was exactly, but it seemed to be words.

Making out the word above the BLU Heavy, May's eyes shot open upon realization. Unable to form words, she babbled in her place, staring at a field of chaos.

"Medic!"

Used to hearing a teammate scream for help, May came back to reality and remembered that she was suppose too be fighting. If the Administrator was true to her word, then it would be best if she actually tried to fight.

Rushing over to the Demoman, May couldn't help but stare at the BLU's. Something about this seemed so wrong, but also so right. It did make sense in a way, but then again, it didn't.

Now wasn't the time to think about that. Readying her Medi Gun, May aimed at the Soldier and released the healing rays. Locking onto him, the Soldier's wounds mended themselves, as well as, strangely, his clothes.

"Thank ye, doc-"

Spotting the Medic trailing behind the Heavy and Soldier, swiftly turned around and unsheathed the Eyelander.

May held her arms up, rather girly, and screamed.

"No! Demo, it's me, May!" she screamed, in a voice mimicking the Medic.

"Sorry aboot that lass. I almost forgot that ye were here. Thought ye were a spy." He said, placing the sword back into its sheath.

"But, Spy's can't heal….right?"

"Aye….ye be right…guess I just forgot. Now pay attention to the battle. Don't want ye getting injured or anything."

"Trust me, it's not like I vant to."

Nodding, the Demoman returned to the battle, running ahead with his Grenade Launcher in hand. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she knew what she had to do. May switched to her syringe gun and ran towards the battle.

Making sure to stay away from the frontlines, she surveyed the area for a red sentry and its owner. The cacophony of explosions and gunfire, rang through her ears, making it impossible to listen for the sentry's beeps.

"Oh, yeah!"

The enthusiastic Scout had just respawned and was itching to get back into the fight, but was stopped by an outstretched hand.

"Hey Doc, watcha- oh wait…"

"I am not zhe Medic, zhough I do look and sound like him…anyvay, do you know vhere zhe Engineer is? I need to talk to him."

"Yeah, he's over in the top tunnel. Know where that is?"

"Yeah, I zhink so. Zhanks."

"No problem."

Rushing off to the next control point, May just realized that the fight had already moved on. The glow from the first capture point had changed to red, showing that they had successfully captured it. Seeing no one around, May figured that it was safe enough to move on.

May sped off with the Syringe Gun in hand and worry lingering in her mind. Passing through the barn, up the stairs and through the tunnel, May found the Engineer camping in the tunnel, with a dispenser and level 3 sentry set up.

The Engineer himself was crouching next to a newly placed teleporter that was still in the process of setting up. Hammering it with his comically large wrench, he looked up when he heard someone calling for him.

Staring at the Medic that stood before him, the Engineer was confused. It wasn't a normal medic, per say, because this one seemed a bit more…decorated.

The first thing that came to his mind…

"Spah!"

Scowling, he got up with his wrench held over his head and ran towards the "Spy."

"Nonononon-"

The Engineer pushed her down and placed a foot on her chest, preventing her from getting up.

"You no good Spah!"

His arm stretched back, he was getting ready to knock the head right off of the "Spy."

"Engie, it's me! May! Please don't kill me!" she pleaded.

Expression changed, he backed up and held a hand out to May.

"Sorry bout that. I kinda forgot that you were here."

"Vell, you're not zhe first…" she muttered as she stood up.

A small 'hmm' was muttered as the Engineer walked back to his machines. He returned to the teleporter, but noticed that the girl didn't move.

"Shouldn't you be out there?" he asked, waving his wrench towards the more chaotic part of the battlefield.

As if planned, the sound of a sentry firing and the Scout screaming rang into their ears. Peaking around the corner, May looked out to the BLU's territory and saw various limbs scattered around the sentry. Worried, May turned back to the Engineer.

"D-Did you know zhat zhe BLU's are, uh, zhey're people playing zhe game?!"

Sighing, the Engineer stood up and leaned against his dispenser, with the same look as he the night before.

"Yes, May, I knew." He said, voice strained.

"Don't you zhink zhat vould be something I should know?!"

The Engineer kept his gaze on his machine.

"I didn't know until yesterday…"

May's eyes widened in realization, "Zhat's vhat you vere so depressed about last night."

"…why don't ya just get back to the battle…"

_Fwoosh!_

Appearing on top of the teleporter was the Sniper. Looking at the "Medic" he was the first to immediately realize that it was neither a Spy nor the Medic. Smiling, he waved at her and jogged of to a sniping position, blue sparks trailing behind him.

* * *

Listening to the Engineer, May ran back through the tunnel and down the stairs of the dilapidated building. Exiting through the side door, she turned to head through the second tunnel, but was met with the BLU Medic at the end of the tunnel.

Expressionless, he quickly pulled out his syringe gun and began firing away. May tried to dodge the barrage of syringes, but failed to do so as she fumbled with her own Syringe Gun. Syringes penetrated her arm, as she tried to focus on the strafing medic.

Pain was shooting through her, but she managed to hit her target with a few of her own syringes. The BLU Medic was advancing towards her, and got close enough to where he knew it was time to switch weapons. Now holding a Bonesaw in his hand, the BLU Medic swung at May, but missed when she ducked out of the way.

Dropping the Syringe Gun, May grabbed the Kukri hanging from her belt and held it out in front of her.

The two clashed together, but the BLU Medic pulled back and got ready for another swing. Before he could, May lunged forward with and plunged the Kukri right through his stomach.

Falling down, much like a ragdoll, the BLU Medic laid motionless with a torso bathed in red.

Panting, May reached for her syringe gun when she felt her arm inflame in pain. Face scrunched up, she looked at her left arm and saw just how much damage the BLU Medic had done.

"Holy shit!"

Normally she wasn't the one to swear, but this was an occasion where it was necessary.

In laymen's terms, her arm looked like a pincushion that belonged to a tailor. Crawling over to the corner, May activated the Cloak and Dagger and sat down against the wall. No longer visible, she pulled her arm closer and with a shaking hand, she grabbed onto one of the syringes. Biting her lip, May pulled out the needle with one swift motion.

"AHHH!"

Holding the syringe in her hand, the liquid it held swirled around.

"Vhat zhe hell is in zhis zhing?!" she exclaimed.

May was frustrated and in pain, not a good mood to be in. Eyes dotting from needle to needle, she began to panic more and more as the number grew larger and larger.

"23 needles?!"

She wouldn't have the tolerance to pull all of those out. She needed to find the Medic.

Luckily her legs weren't injured, so she would be able to run as fast as she needed to. With the teams pushed farther up, May took off for the tunnel where the Engineer was set up.

* * *

"All your heads look bloody twelve feet tall!"

* * *

"Medic!"

Running through the tunnels, May desperately called for assistance.

"Sentry d-AGH!"

Rounding the corner, May sighted the destroyed sentry nest and a fallen Engineer. Something had just created that mess, meaning someone would be coming soon now that the hazard had been clear. Not wanting to get into another skirmish, May hid behind one of the rusty old mine carts and activated the cloak.

_Crunch, crunch_

She held her breath and slid as far against the cart as she could. Sucking her stomach in, May whimpered as her need for oxygen grew.

A Demoman rounded the cart, causing May to tense up. Hand over her mouth, she was shaking in fear. He ran right past her, taking no notice of her presence. Running out of sight, May uncloaked gasped for air.

Relived that she was not found, May uncloaked. She needed to do something, so she decided to go out and try to fight. Her weapons may not have been the best ones for offense, but they would get the job done, assuming she could actually hit something.

Turning around, she was about to head down to one of the doors often used for flanking, but she bumped into something. The force was enough to make May fall to the ground. Dazed, May looked back up and saw the BLU Sniper who was quickly switching his rifle for a jar.

Panicking, she was unable to steady herself, making it so that she couldn't stand up and run away. Desperate to escape, she scotched back, but ended up cornering herself.

"Oh god please no!" she screamed, arms in a protective position.

What use was there in pleading though? The BLU Sniper wouldn't be able to hear her, if she understood how games worked. What was really scaring her was the jar clenched in his hand. It was not something she ever wanted to get covered in.

"Heads up!"

"_That voice…it sounds so…familiar…"_

The jar shattered across May's face. Her arms had done nothing to shield her, and now, she was covered in piss that…stung?

"Oh my god this fucking stings!"

The cuts caused by the glass were being filled with the salt filled body fluid. What would have been just minor cuts, turned into a piss filled burning sensation. It was truly disgusting.

Looking back up to the Sniper, May saw the Kukiri out and wielded, ready to kill.

"A little of the ol' chop-chop!"

"_That's the worst Australian accent I've ever heard…"_

Looking straight at her attacker, May's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in realization as she read the words above the Sniper's head.

"E-Emile?!"


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: So if you reading on the normal site, you may have seen that I changed the cover. For those of you who actually looked at it, No, that's definitely not the Scout dressed up as best as he could to look like a girl. Ok, so yeah I could have used one of the female models, but I didn't have any loaded into SFM so I improvised as best I could, especially with the teleporter.**

**So, a friend gave me an idea. Since my attempt at making a cover was pretty crappy, he suggested that I hold a contest. For those of you with artistic skills, go out and make a cover for this story! Fabulous Team Fortress prizes will be involved, meaning your going to have to have a Steam account with the game in order to actually receive/use. The winner will receive a Gaelic garb and one of the weapons in my inventory, including stranges (excluding the strange medi gun) of your choice.**

**Deadline will be...let's say October 6. That gives you guys 2 weeks to make something up, and also gives me a deadline for the next chapter. The only rule is that it can't be something that spoils the story, like nothing to do with the BLU's or anything like that.**

**If you guys love this story enough to do so, send me your entry at chuggaaskymin (don't laugh, it's a secondary email), since I don't think you can send pictures through the messaging on the site.**

**Also my inconsistency in this story is abysmal. I keep making really dumb mistakes and have problems fixing it. Yeah...someone pointed out that May was suppose to be using the Kritzkrieg (back when weapons were chosen) but somehow magically got the Medi Gun...I'm going to have soooo much trouble fixing that...**

**Anyhow, enjoy this chapter that I'm not to fond of. **

* * *

**Chapter 30: Battle at Dustbowl Part 2**

* * *

_Swoosh!_

Numbness shot through May's body as her vision failed. Though she couldn't feel anything, she somehow knew that the Sniper had chopped her head clean off.

The loss of feeling only lasted a pico second before a rush of intense pain flooded her five senses. It was like every type of pain that existed was coursing through her body at that very moment. She was blinded by an intense light, electrocuted, burnt, and several more as the worst sound she ever heard rang through her ears.

Thankfully, the pain only lasted as long as the numbness had but the intenseness of it made if feel like an eternity. One moment May was screaming in pain, but the next, she was lying on the warm dirt floor where they had started the battle.

The girl was shivering in fear, curled up on the ground and crying. Her body was her own again and she was thankful for that.

She understood why Miss Pauling had advised her not to be killed. That experience was something that no one should ever have to go through. Knowing how often the mercenaries went through that, caused May's respect for them to skyrocket.

Holding her legs close, May couldn't focus her scattered brain. She did not want to get back up and fight, at the risk of having to go through respawn again.

_Swoosh!_

The Heavy had just spawned and was ready to head back out, until he almost tripped over the scared girl. He nudged the girl with the barrel of Sasha, causing her to look up at the man. With someone now around, she forced herself to sit up, so it seemed she had some shred of dignity.

"Leetle girl OK?" he asked, worry showing through his expression and voice.

"R-Respawn….I…jus-no, no never again…" she muttered, arms wrapped around her chest.

The Russian sat Sasha down and kneeled on the ground to get a little closer in eye level to the girl. He set his massive hand on May's shoulder, and attempted, as well as he could, to comfort her.

"Do not be scared. Even Heavy Weapons Guy was scared first time through respawn. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

A smile spread across his face, as May wiped the tears from her eyes. As happy as she was to see the giant of a man be kind to her, she was also a bit skeptical, as was part of her nature.

"I-I thought you didn't like me?" she asked, confused.

He frowned, "I do not like how weak you are. You are like baby, but you cannot help it. I will not hold that against you."

"Sorry…" she said, lowering her head at the truth.

"You should not be. You are fine the way you are. You have your own strengths and that is good enough."

The Heavy held out his hand with another comforting smile. May gladly took it and with his help, stood up. She checked herself to make sure she still had all of her weapons and pulled the Disguise Kit out of her pocket. Opening the Disguise Kit, May's finger lingered over the button, as she hesitated.

Looking up, "I-I don't want to die again." She struggled to say.

The Heavy seemed to ponder this statement for a moment, before his expression told May that he had an idea.

"You have Medi Gun?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Then play Doctor's role."

"What?" she asked, confused as to what he meant.

"Heal me with gun. I will protect you if you stay behind me."

Agreeing with the idea, May nodded and put on the perfect disguise of the Medic. She grabbed the barrel of the Medi Gun and pointed it at the Heavy, locking on to him and releasing the beam.

"I am ready." He said.

"Alright, I am to."

"Act like doctor. BLU babies might think you are Spy." He commanded.

_Oh, I'm pretty sure they won't…_

"Jawohl!"

May's courage rose knowing that she had one of the most qualified body guards protecting her. The two ran out of spawn, as May concentrated on keeping the Medi gun focused on the Heavy.

* * *

"This certainly is a unique server…" the boy at the computer said.

Emile was right though. The server he had been invited to was one like no other. It seemed to boast a mod that made the game play as realistic as could be.

The Health meter seemed to only be there for cosmetic purposes, as one rocket would blow him to smithereens. Classes seemed to move more realistically as well. From what he saw, their animations looked just as good as they had in the 'Meet the Team' videos, maybe even better, but he could still tell they were just part of the game.

While Emile was glad to have discovered the server, the invitation he received was odd to say the least. It was more of a message containing a server address and password, telling him that if he wanted to play the game of his life, then he had to get on at this specific time. The message contained a description of how the game would work, locking one person into one of each class, and how it took a realistic approach to the normal chaotic gameplay.

The weirdest thing it told him, though, was that he would be unable to leave the server in the middle of a round. It stated that he would have to play at least a full rotation, fighting through each part of the map, until he was given the option to leave.

Emile didn't think it was possible for a server to prohibit you from leaving, but it was something that he couldn't question, or answer.

The strangeness was something that intrigued him, so he set his alarm clock and reported for duty in the morning.

When he logged into the server, he noticed that the only one available was the Sniper.

"Odd…it didn't say anything about assigning classes." He muttered.

Shrugging it off, he couldn't complain, seeing as how the Sniper was his best class. Choosing his normal loadout, he entered the game, ready to get the fight going.

Instead, he was sent to the waiting screen, with a clock set on top. It was counting down the minutes, with five minutes left, which were slowly ticking away as Emile waited impatiently.

Throughout the five minutes, he constantly checked the scoreboard and saw the other players slowly trickle in. They were all assigned to the BLU team, as he saw the RED's had been previously filled up. The generic names, suggested that they were just bots, but from the description he was given, they were people with the skill level of an actual mercenary.

What struck him as odd, was the fact that while they had only nine people, the other team had 10, with one labeled as an extra Medic. For something that bragged about its realism, it certainly made no sense as to why the teams weren't balanced.

When the clock reached 60 seconds, he was suddenly thrown into the respawn room.

_**Mission begins in 60 seconds**_

The rest of his team ran out of the room, and began to prepare for the mission. One hand on the keyboard, and the other on the mouse, Emile followed them, and set up at the end of a tunnel, where he could easily blow someone's head to bits without being seen.

Scoped in, he could see no one waiting at the doors, like normally. He waited, laser pointed at the door to his right, as the Administrator's countdown reached its end.

_**1!**_

The doors flew open, and a Scout ran out, successfully dodging every one of their Soldier's rockets. Deciding that it would be pointless to aim for the nimble Scout, he scanned the area and spotted the enemy Sniper.

As soon as his laser was pointed on the Sniper's head, the RED quickly moved out of the way, turned, and instantly fired at Emile, successfully blowing his brains out. The kill cam showed an oddly human smirk being expressed on his face, as he had turned to aim at other targets.

* * *

A minute or two in, he saw that the RED Engineer had set up his Sentry in the tunnels. Seeing their Soldier rocket jumping up to the exposed ledge, he knew that he was planning on taking the Sentry out.

He made his way up to the gate, preventing them from entering, and waited on the stairs. Soon, he heard the explosions of the rockets hitting the Sentry, and soon, and exploding sentry. With the job done, the Soldier headed out of the gate, leaving it wide open for Emile to enter.

He spotted the debris of the Engineer's machines and the scattered body limbs, as he moved through the tunnel. Rounding the corner, he bumped into a medic, who, strangely, fell to the floor and backed up against the wall.

While it was strange for such an action to occur, Emile took no time to wonder and immediately switched to his Jarate. Yelling into his mike, he chucked the jar right at the curled up Medic.

Switching to his Kukri, he imitated one of the Sniper's lines, which seemed to cause the Medic to react. He stopped trying to shake the urine off, and instead froze after looking up to him. With no time to waste, Emile clicked his left mouse button, causing the Sniper to swing at the frightened Medic, Slicing his head clean off.

With no enemies to worry about, Emile began to wonder. With how strange this server was, there were several things that just didn't add up.

One being the extra Medic the other team had, another being the strangely realistic animations coming from them and thirdly, that Medic he had just killed.

Looking at the scoreboard, it was apparently the extra medic that was placed on the bottom of the board, with only one kill. Comparing him to the others on the team, it was far behind, with the other Medic already at 11 points.

If its lack of skill compared to the others wasn't weird enough, Emile could have sworn he heard and saw things that a Medic, or anything in the game, was not supposed to have, or say. He thought that it might have been his imagination, but he thought he saw a Kukri attached to the Medic's belt, and when he trapped him against the wall, he swore he heard the Medic spout a few lines they he knew weren't in the game.

He swore he heard the Medic say his name.

* * *

"Come along now doctor!"

"O-Jawohl!"

May was following behind the Heavy, and kept her Medi Gun focused on him, just like a pocket Medic always did. The respawn entrance had been blocked by a rather annoying Scout, who thought he could take on the world from the looks of it. A few bullets from Sasha did the job though, and the duo made way towards the center of the battle.

Entering the worn house, they headed up the stairs and ran towards the tunnel. They were on the bridge when May heard a familiar sound, one that she knew who it belonged to. She turned around and was met face to face with the BLU Spy.

His arm was raised and a knife was held by his hand. He was getting ready to backstab the faux medic.

Hastily, May dropped the Medi Gun and reached for her Kukri. It hit the wood beneath them with a thump, and was being dragged behind her as she dodged the Spy's attacks.

The whirling barrel of Sasha was heard and, with a few bullets, the Spy fell off the bridge and laid limp. While the Heavy returned to his normal stance, May began to slice wildly at the air like a maniac.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"That Spy had a Dead Ringer, he could still b-"

_Krrttzz!_

"Augh!"

May Spun around and saw the giant of a man fall to the ground, revealing the BLU Spy behind him, with a knife covered in Russian blood.

Kukri held with both hands, May swung it much like a baseball bat, hoping to mortally wound the Spy, but missed as he ran backwards into the tunnel. She stumbled, almost falling off the bridge, but regained her bearings, attaching the barrel of the Medi gun to her pack, and followed the Spy.

May was determined to prove her worth in battle. She had to show everyone, especially the Soldier, that she wasn't unless and a burden to the rest of the team.

Rounding the corner, she saw no signs of the Spy, but saw that the Engineer had successfully set up camp again. He was tending to his machines and upgrading a dispenser the easy way May had showed him.

"Engie!" she called out, "Zhere's a Spy around here!"

Looking up from his sentry, he saw May running towards him, with…himself trailing her?

"Behind ya!" he yelled, grabbing his shotgun and donning an anger filled look.

May spun on her heels and saw the Engineer behind her. Confused at first, her mind finally caught up, and she swung the Kukri at the second Engineer.

Attacking, the Spy's disguise flickered off. His constant swings were identical in speed and timing, so it was easy for May to figure out it was time to dodge, and when it was time to attack. With two feigned deaths, May knew that he had to be injured at this point, and just one hit would end him.

Unfortunately, every chance she got to attack, the Spy managed to move out of the way, keeping far away from the pointed weapon. May began to breathe heavily, due to the strength she was putting into each missed swing. She couldn't go on much longer. A few more attempts, and she would be too tired to dodge the Spy's knife, which would end with a Butterfly knife to the face.

"Help!" she screamed between gasps.

The Engineer lifted the shot gun up and took aim.

_Blam!_

The Spy fell once again, with the blast hitting his side, but the spread of the shot cause May to stumbled and grab her side.

"Augh! What the fuck!" she yelled.

His face fell, just like the Spy, as guilt riddled his mind. The Engineer dropped his shot gun and ran to her side.

"Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!"

Her side was bleeding out, giving the white coat a splotch of crimson red. May clung to the wound, attempting to lessen the pain and keep the blood in.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shoot ya." He stuttered.

"Look I don't really care! Just help me over to zhe dispenser."

"What? Why?"

"Too heal me!"

His confused look frustrated her, so she began to walk over to the dispenser herself, face scrunched up from the pain.

"Dispenser's don't heal as fast as a Medi Gun."

The Engineer unhooked the Medi gun from the pack and pushed the handle forward. The beam swirled around her and the pain in her side quickly went away. She removed her hand from her side and thanked the Engineer, who returned the thanks with a nod of his head.

With the medi gun still focused, the tip of the barrel began to spark.

"Well, looks like you have a full charge." He said, handing the gun back to May.

She took it by the bottom handle and placed it back on the pack.

"Again, sorry for shootin' ya. I haven't exactly been doin' the best today." He said, fixing his crooked helmet.

"I don't blame you. You have a legit reason." She replied.

He sighed, "Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it..."

May could see that he was serious. The man was not in the mood to talk, and now, in the middle of a battle, wasn't the best time to.

"Don't vorry, I von't bother you about it."

The Engineer gave a small smile of relief and returned to one of the toolboxes, where he opened it and began banging on the contents. A sentry rose out of the box and began to build itself, while he continued to hit it with his wrench.

Heavy footsteps were heard, so May turned around and prepared herself to lunge. She gripped the Kukri tightly and held it much like a baseball bat. At the first site of a man, she ran forward, arms back, about to swing at him, until she realized it was just the Heavy.

She dug her feet into the ground and slid into his stomach. Looking up at the Russian, he gave her a confused look, as she pushed her self away from him.

"Uh, sorry. I thought you were an enemy." She sheepishly admitted.

"Is ok. Follow me."

Putting the Kukri back on her belt, she equipped the Medi Gun once again and focused it on the Heavy's back. They could hear the explosions outside of the tunnel, and an enemy sentry perched somewhere away from their safe haven.

With the Heavy heading towards the gate, May followed. Sasha's barrel spun, as he looked back and nodded at May. She returned the nod and he walked forward, causing the doors to open up.

"Now doctor!" he yelled.

Both were outside, the gate closing behind them, as May switched on the Uber. Instantly, The Heavy was covered in a shiny red coat of invulnerability, but when May looked down at her arms, she was not.

Something clicked in her mind, causing her to remember something vitally important.

"Oh crap! Heavy I can't uber!" she yelled.

Her voice was lost behind the Heavy's laughter and the gunfire all around them. He moved down the stairs, out from in front of May, leaving her vulnerable.

_Beep, Beep!_

She looked over to the huge silo and saw a level 3 sentry set up, and pointing straight at her. It released four rockets that had locked onto her spot. Frozen in fear, all May could do was stare wide eyed at the incoming rockets.

"Shit…"

* * *

Her vision blanked out again, and that horrible experience was felt once again. It went just as slowly as before and was just as bad, but maybe just a little better, since she knew what to expect.

This time, when she opened her eyes, she was standing upright, instead of curled up on the floor. Regaining her composure, she knew that she needed to get back into the fight, so she ran towards the entrance.

_**Victory!**_

"Oh thank god…"

* * *

**Fun Fact:**

**If a person were to disconnect randomly (like they shut the game off, connection, or just left after they were given and option.) then the server (or the Administrator) would just find a person who was trying to connect through the matchmaking and connect them to the server that runs their world I guess you could say.**


End file.
